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(12463, 17, '2013-12-19 10:00:00', '2013-12-19 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2034" align="alignleft" width="225"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2034 " title="Phaedra Ray" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2b-225x300.jpg" alt="Phaedra Ray" width="225" height="300" /> After turning her life around, Phaedra found her life''s calling in veterinary care.[/caption]\r\n\r\nPhaedra Ray’s young life was filled with all of the abuses you wish no child to endure. The three people – mother, father, older brother – who should have most protected her, were the primary perpetrators. With no place to hide, she lost herself in the soft fur of a cat, the loving wag of a dog’s tail. Animals would be her refuge then and now.\r\n\r\nPhaedra’s first three decades are a blur of drug and sexual abuses. Her physical violations that began at age five and her introduction and subsequent addiction to methamphetamine at age eight led to inevitable antisocial and unlawful behaviors.\r\n\r\n“I was told I should have been dead long, long ago,” says Phaedra. “But, I’ve learned that I’m a fighter…a mental fighter.”\r\n\r\nFor years Phaedra floundered emotionally, physically and educationally until finally, at age thirty-five and incarcerated, she earned her GED. That little sliver of educational accomplishment was the small hope she began to build upon.\r\n\r\nAfter her release a year later, Phaedra began to volunteer at the New Village Pets rescue clinic where she rediscovered her love of animals. Veterinarian, Dr. Piel, recognized Phaedra’s gift with animals and gradually allowed her to participate in surgeries, vaccinations, animal restraint, anesthesia and teeth cleaning and extractions.\r\n\r\n“Dr. Piel taught me everything and was always right there next to me and since we were a rescue clinic, pet owners gave me permission to help while I was learning,” says Phaedra. “After a few months Dr. Piel encouraged me to enroll in SJVC’s Vet Tech program in <a title="SJVC Fresno" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/" target="_blank">Fresno</a>, where she was doing surgeries.”\r\n\r\nPhaedra thrived in the VT classroom environment. She maintained a 3.72 GPA, made the Dean’s List throughout her program and was one of only three students nominated for the National Technical Honor Society, of which she is still a member. Fellow students sought her out for mentoring and fought for a place on her team projects.\r\n\r\nThroughout her <a title="Veterinary Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/veterinary-technology/" target="_blank">Veterinary Technology</a> program Phaedra continued to volunteer at the rescue clinic where Dr. Piel treated her as a trusted colleague. Although the demands of her program were at times overwhelming, Phaedra persevered and earned the privilege of wearing the special colors of educational achievement at the graduation ceremony held last June.\r\n\r\nA few days after graduation Phaedra interviewed for an Office Manager/Head Veterinary Technologist position at Family Veterinary Hospital where she was hired on the spot. In a busy office that averages 15-20 patients and at least one surgery each day, Phaedra has the job of her dreams. She wants one day to get her Master’s Degree so that she can work exclusively in emergency surgery and critical care for her beloved animals.\r\n\r\nBut it is her volunteer work that replenishes her sometimes still-fragile spirit. Phaedra volunteers at FOTEP (Female Offender Training Employment Program), where she mentors ten women who have a history of sexual and drug abuse.\r\n\r\n“I believe I went through all that sexual abuse so that I could help women who went through the same thing,” she says. “I understand what they’re feeling, what they’re going through.”\r\n\r\nPhaedra’s own therapy that “broke me down and built me back up” helped her to better understand her past and accept and appreciate who and where she is now. It also gives her insight into counseling others through their compulsions and feelings of low self-worth.\r\n\r\n“All of those group sessions in anger management, shame classes, PTSD, parenting classes, trauma classes, were important to give myself tools to try to live out my life the way I needed to live my life,” says Phaedra. “I had only thought of my past as being about the drug abuse, but my counselor made me look at everything and how the drug abuse was on account of my sexual abuse.”\r\n\r\nPhaedra feels that her SJVC education saved her from her past, and she plans to spend the rest of her life helping others – both human and animal.\r\n\r\n“It helps me to help them every day of my life,” she says. “In the morning when I come in, if I’m a little down, one of my critters licks me on my nose and I say, ‘OK, now I’m feeling better.’”', 'Veterinary Tech program refuge from childhood abuse', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'veterinary-tech-program-refuge-from-childhood-abuse', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/veterinary-technology/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/', '2014-10-02 11:20:23', '2014-10-02 18:20:23', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/veterinary-tech-program-refuge-from-childhood-abuse', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12464, 17, '2013-12-30 10:00:00', '2013-12-30 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2038" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2038" title="Paula Askari and her two daughters" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/11-300x300.jpg" alt="Paula Askari and her two daughters" width="300" height="300" /> Now the sole breadwinner for her family, Paula wanted to set an example and provide well for her two daughters.[/caption]\r\n\r\nEvery day Paula Askari wakes up, straightens her narrow shoulders and prepares for the arduous routine that will bring her one step closer to her dream of a job she loves and financial security. She looks at the two little girls who are the focal point of her efforts: 3-year old Layla and 1-year old Natalie.\r\n\r\n“I want the girls to have more than I had,” says Paula. “I want them to look back at this and say, ‘My mom went back to school and took care of us.’”\r\n\r\nOn their own since April, this little family of three has had plenty of uncertainties and the isolating stresses of a newly broken family. But when one thing is lost, it seems, something good can come in to fill the space.\r\n\r\nPaula knew that her hope for positive change hinged to a great extent upon getting an education. After working as a bank teller for four years, she had been a stay-at-home mom for almost a year. Now it was up to her to be the primary provider for her girls. The long, slow promotional ladder in the banking industry was not going to take care of their most immediate needs.\r\n\r\nPaula’s good friend, Pharmacy Technology student Christina, invited her to a Friends and Family Night at <a title="SJVC Antelope Valley" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/">SJVC’s Lancaster campus</a>. Paula had finished her Financial Aid process earlier and was looking for the right education opportunity. During the presentation and tour, Paula realized that this was something she could see herself doing.\r\n\r\n“I love to help others and was drawn to the medical field, but as a <a title="Pharmacy Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology/">Pharmacy Technologist</a> I wouldn’t have to be in direct contact with patients and poking them and all the bloody stuff,” she says. “Plus, there’s the job security; it’s always going to be there.” She enrolled in the program.\r\n\r\nThe second light that rushed in to fill the dark was Paula’s sister, Melissa, and their father, Ray, who live several miles away. Melissa keeps wonderful care of Layla and Natalie while Paula is in class.\r\n\r\n“It’s a long day and I spend a lot of my day driving,” says Paula. But, the hardest part is leaving her daughters. “It breaks my heart to leave them, and Layla asks me to please stay.”\r\n\r\nThe emotional price is high, but the outcome will give them all the better life they deserve.\r\n\r\nPaula buckled down and devoted herself to her studies. She was initially shocked at how many medications and labels had to be memorized. It wasn’t long before she got her rhythm with homework, studies, exams and new modules. The first time she found herself on the Dean’s List and the recipient of a Perfect Attendance certificate, she was elated.\r\n\r\n“Paula strives to reach her full potential and is committed to doing her best,” says Lindsay Sapp, Pharmacy Tech instructor. “She constantly seeks new challenges and never fails to take responsibility for her learning.”\r\n\r\nPaula looks for inspiration and encouragement, and when she finds something that touches her heart and lifts her spirit…she puts it on the refrigerator. Right now, lyrics from a “Jesus Culture” song sustain her.\r\n<p align="center"><i>Higher than the mountains that I face,</i></p>\r\n<p align="center"><i>Stronger than the power of the grave,</i></p>\r\n<p align="center"><i>Constant through the trial and the change,</i></p>\r\n<p align="center"><i>One thing remains.</i></p>\r\n<p align="center"><i>Your love never fails, never gives up,</i></p>\r\n<p align="center"><i>Never runs out on me.</i><i> </i></p>\r\nPaula has enough of what she needs to make it through to graduation in February, 2014…and beyond.\r\n\r\nShe knows it may never be<i> </i>easy, but it is sure to be <i>easier</i>. She keeps her focus on tomorrow.\r\n\r\n“It’s been up and down, an emotional rollercoaster,” says Paula. “The girls are going through so much and school has been hard on all of us. But, we’re sacrificing a little bit now so that later on they’ll have more of my time.”\r\n\r\nPaula has figured out an awful lot in her 23-years.', 'Two little girls keep Pharmacy Tech student going', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'two-little-girls-keep-pharmacy-tech-student-going', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/', '2014-10-02 11:19:49', '2014-10-02 18:19:49', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/two-little-girls-keep-pharmacy-tech-student-going', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12465, 17, '2013-12-19 09:46:04', '2013-12-19 17:46:04', 'SJVC’s Online students are scattered across the nation and even dot other countries, so gowning up for a graduation ceremony at one of the California campuses is unlikely. However, the <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online Division</a> staff did not feel it was fair for their students to work so hard toward successful completion of their degree and certificate programs without any recognition or fanfare at the finish.\r\n\r\n“Online students do just as much work as on-ground students, except that they are more self-taught, have to be very disciplined and work more independently,” says Alyssa Perry, Dean of Student Services. “But, when it came to graduation, they were not getting that big ‘Aaaah’ moment. They would get a phone call and someone from SJVC would say, ‘Congratulations, you passed your requirements; we will mail your certificate of completion.’”  Not quite the celebration that their effort and accomplishment deserved.\r\n\r\nFour months ago the Online staff began work on the production of an Online graduation ceremony video. It took a great deal of coordination among staff to complete the 18-minute video that introduces staff presenters, including Alyssa Perry, Ash Carter, Site Coordinator, and various Student Advisors, who announce the names of recent graduates.\r\n\r\n<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6aWs5qxvadA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>\r\n\r\nThe video combines a stagnant stage and podium illustration with a pre-recorded ‘talking head’ at the podium who speaks to the viewing audience, provides a commencement address, and announces the names of those graduating. Various staff step into each of those roles. Now that the video base is built, the names of subsequent graduates can be easily implanted, and graduation ceremonies might occur every two months. The current student population of approximately 400 will enjoy their eventual ‘commencement’ moment, as well.\r\n\r\nAlyssa Perry acknowledges that this initial video effort is just the first step in the evolution of an expanded and more sophisticated video presentation of this landmark event.\r\n\r\nIn the 8-years the Online campus has been operational, there has never been an in-person graduation exercise; the nature of distance learning makes such a venture untenable. However, the campus’ foray into a video experience paves the way to better engage Online students in the celebration of their accomplishments.\r\n\r\nOnline’s new graduation video honors 105 graduates (June 1, 2013 – Sept. 1, 2013) from Medical Office Administration, Construction Management, Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting, Business Administration and Technical Studies programs. Eighty-seven certificates and 18 Associate of Science degrees were awarded.\r\n\r\n“This is not only an important acknowledgement of our graduates, but a milestone for the campus as pioneers of video graduation exercises,” says Ms. Perry, who found few Online college examples available.\r\n\r\nIn addition, the Online staff and faculty now have a collection of video ‘bloopers’ for their next team-building exercise for staff and faculty.', 'Online campus debuts graduation video', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'online-campus-debuts-graduation-video', '', '', '2015-02-05 15:13:09', '2015-02-05 23:13:09', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/?p=2041', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12466, 14, '2013-12-23 00:00:00', '2013-12-23 08:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2051" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2051" title="A corporate Holiday" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/photo3_edit2-300x181.jpg" alt="A corporate Holiday" width="300" height="181" /> What does this enigmatic bunch do for the holiday season?[/caption]\r\n\r\nBehind the scenes at San Joaquin Valley College works a committed group of individuals, people who skirt the spotlight, hiding from attention, and yet their work is undeniably vital. The crew of the Central Administrative Office toil tirelessly to keep the college on track.\r\n\r\nBut the holidays are upon us, which begs the question: what do these mysterious people do? How do the admissions specialists, the accountants, the human resources team, the marketers, and the rest celebrate the holidays around the office?\r\n\r\nEvery year, of course, is the requisite Christmas party, which is held at varying locations each year. One year the party was even held in a tent in the company parking lot. But the party is significant for other reasons.\r\n\r\nAt the start of each holiday gathering, each new employee hired that year is introduced, given a warm welcome, and a gentle ribbing. After the new hires are sufficiently roasted before the company, the year’s charity donation is presented, collected and funded by the employees and donated under the Perry family name. Every year, the staff decides on a special charity to support that Christmas.\r\n\r\nIn fact, charity would seem to be a big part of the corporate Christmas. In past years, employees have donated their time and effort to good causes. Some would help supply food and subsequently serve it as Sister Ursula’s food mission. Other times, they visited Happy Trails Riding Academy and repaint surfaces, or, sometimes, clean the horse stalls.\r\n\r\nLast year, the employees erected a Giving Tree in the office. Each ornament was for a family in need, and each employee took one and bought them something special.\r\n\r\nBut there is fun (and treats) around the office as well. For years, Judy has brought homemade cookies to share, a tradition her coworkers will not be happy to ever see go.\r\n\r\n“She can never stop now,” said an anonymous source, greedily eyeing her plate of cookies.\r\n\r\nEach department may have its own special traditions as well. The Academic Affairs department held a secret Santa. There were three stages. The first stage consisted of useful office supplies. The second was littered with decidedly less practical gifts, like fuzzy reindeer antlers. The third was a cutthroat competition to steal and trade from the gifts given to get the silliest or most fun item.\r\n\r\nOne year, a station to make custom ornaments was held. It was not optional. Everyone in the office was required to make an ornament, under penalty of otherwise being the office Scrooge, or worse, Grinch.\r\n\r\nSo, when you think of the Central Administrative Office, try to imagine the festive side.', 'Holidays at the Central Office', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'holidays-at-corporate-2', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:20:06', '2014-10-02 18:20:06', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/holidays-at-corporate-2', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12467, 17, '2014-01-01 10:00:00', '2014-01-01 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2058" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2058" title="Repairs in progress" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/HVAC-Trainer2-300x230.jpg" alt="Repairs in progress" width="300" height="230" /> This new training system will provide current and future HVAC students with easily tailored and specific repair scenarios.[/caption]\r\n\r\nDuring the last 2-weeks of the<a title="Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/heating-ventilation-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration/" target="_blank"> Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning-Refrigeration</a> program, seniors participate in a test-out of hands-on procedures that review everything they have learned during the previous 14-months. The <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> program has many A/C and heating units on which they might be tested, but students about to graduate wanted to up the ante with a more intensive trial.\r\n\r\n“They were clamoring to get their knuckles bruised, turn the wrenches and use all of the nuts and bolts to troubleshoot unit malfunctions,” says Division Manager, Eric Lindberg. “So, Josh Debrie and Robby Gill, our very enterprising HVAC-R instructors, challenged their students to create a simulated –trainer board, which could take them through a variety of potential break-down and repair scenarios.”\r\n\r\nWith new technology constantly emerging, the use of computer simulated trainers in the career college industry is prevalent – and often cost-prohibitive. Virtual trainers are tools that come with the curriculum and are operated through a computer in a virtual environment. The beauty of a trainer board is that it can be reconfigured to present any number of fix-it issues with the electrical, refrigeration, heating and A/C components.\r\n\r\n“Our HVAC instructors looked around and saw all of the components needed to build our own trainer board,” says Lindberg. Those parts included a compressor, condenser coils, electrical panels, valves, gauges and other components that would test everything on one board. Robby Gill states, “We could configure it to trouble-shoot many different unit issues.”\r\n\r\nThe instructors challenged their senior class to design and build the board for their Capstone project – the last hands-on assessments they would perform before entering the work world.\r\n\r\nIt took the seniors a couple of weeks to create their trainer, completely from scratch.\r\n\r\n“The new trainer board puts HVAC students through intensive and creative hands-on problem-solving, and gives instructors an innovative way to measure student skill levels,” says Gill.\r\n\r\nIn addition to acing their Capstone project, graduating seniors have created a valuable learning tool and an instruction legacy that will serve many generations of HVAC-R classes to come.', 'HVAC senior students think ‘Legacy’', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'hvac-senior-students-think-legacy', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/', '2014-10-02 11:19:15', '2014-10-02 18:19:15', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/hvac-senior-students-think-legacy', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12468, 17, '2014-01-02 12:00:00', '2014-01-02 20:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2068" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lauren_haney_photo_ps_v2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2068" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lauren_haney_photo_ps_v2-300x225.jpg" alt="The season of giving really took over at SJVC Temecula!" width="300" height="225" /></a> The season of giving really took over at SJVC Temecula![/caption]\r\n\r\nThe season of giving started early for the <a title="Check out the SJVC Temecula campus here" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/temecula" target="_blank">Temecula</a> campus. Since October students, staff and faculty have launched many fundraisers, organizations and special events in support of worthy causes, large and small.\r\n\r\nTheir last quarter push included a major fundraising effort by students from the Respiratory Therapy and Medical Assisting programs for SCAMP (Southern California Asthma Management Program) to send a child to SCAMP camp for a week. RT and MA students joined forced to mark Respiratory Care Week and Medical Assisting Appreciation Week (Oct. 21-25) by raising $1,500. – the cost of sending one child to camp to learn how to better manage their lives with asthma.\r\n\r\n“Everyone worked very hard to make wonderful informational posters and have fun activities to help raise funds for this worthy cause,” says William Hall, RT Program Director. Their efforts netted $2,160., and well over their goal to send one child to camp.\r\n\r\n“This event demonstrates how an idea once embraced by a small community, such as our campus, can exceed all expectations,” says Hall.\r\n\r\n<strong>Philippines Relief Fund</strong>\r\nThe ASB (Associate Student Body) wanted to do something to help victims of the devastating hurricane in the Philippines. A Nov. 20th bake sale, dress-down days and clothing sales brought in $250, which was given to the Red Cross for hurricane survivors.\r\n\r\n“Students donated time and brought in things to sell for between $.50-1.00 to raise money,” says John Hall, Temecula Dean of Student Services.\r\n\r\n<strong>Student Support Fund</strong>\r\nFundraising activities throughout November brought in enough contributions to provide eight students and their families with grocery store gift certificates for holiday dinners.\r\n\r\n<strong>Doors of Hope Orphanage, Baja, CA</strong>\r\nSeveral overflowing boxes of food and clothing donations have been collected for the Doors of Hope and were delivered by a group of SJVC students.\r\n\r\nASB, Diversity Club and HOSA have teamed up and organized activities that involved students, staff and faculty over the last three months to reach out into those in need both far away and right in their own back yard.\r\n\r\nEveryone has a little nicer holiday knowing they have improved someone else’s life by at least a small measure.', 'Making lives better through service and support', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'making-lives-better-through-service-and-support', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:19:00', '2014-10-02 18:19:00', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/making-lives-better-through-service-and-support', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12469, 17, '2014-01-03 10:00:00', '2014-01-03 18:00:00', '<img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2073" title="SJVC Visalia Campus Christmas Stars" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SJVC-Visalia-Campus-Christmas-Stars-300x225.jpg" alt="SJVC Visalia Campus Christmas Stars" width="300" height="225" />The Christmas spirit was in full play on the <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> campus in two big ways.\r\n\r\nThe Christmas Star Project, sponsored by Student Services, helped children of SJVC students in financial need to have a little more joyful Christmas. Stars with a child’s name, interests, hobbies and clothing size were hung high in hopes a staff or faculty member would ‘adopt’ them and provide a toy and clothing item to brighten their holiday.\r\n\r\nA total of 109-children from 46-families were adopted and received gifts from generous SJVC employees. “We wanted to make sure that the children from our SJVC family could have a memorable Christmas,” says Elisia Sanchez, Student Resource Coordinator.\r\n\r\nHoliday activities culminated with the 2013 Children’s Christmas Party, hosted by Student Services on Dec. 20th.\r\n\r\nOver 155 children of SJVC’s family of employees and students enjoyed meeting Santa, face-painting, crafts, story time, raffle prizes and – best of all – a photo op with Santa, himself. Each child won a raffle toy and took home a goodie bag filled with treats. Toys were provided by campus clubs that held fundraisers such as bake sales and dress-down days, along with donations from local stores.\r\n\r\n“Our holiday events are very much appreciated by our students and their children, who also enjoy visiting their parents’ school,” says Elisia.\r\n\r\nIn addition, six live Christmas trees were decorated and raffled off, through the efforts of SJVC’s ENACTUS Club.\r\n\r\n“We wanted to give our students and their families a place where they, too, can share in the tradition of Christmas,” says Elisia.', 'Visalia’s Giving Spirit of Christmas', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'visalias-giving-spirit-of-christmas', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:18:44', '2014-10-02 18:18:44', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/visalias-giving-spirit-of-christmas', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12470, 17, '2014-01-09 10:00:00', '2014-01-09 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2077" align="alignleft" width="225"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2077" title="CAMA graduate Karissa Amador" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hj2-225x300.jpg" alt="CAMA graduate Karissa Amador" width="225" height="300" /> Karissa had always wanted to help people, making the CAMA program a perfect fit.[/caption]\r\n\r\nTwenty-two year old Karissa Amador is a driven young woman with two primary ambitions: give to others and make your own way to success. She learned the importance of these intertwined goals at a very early age.\r\n\r\nKarissa never met her father, who moved and changed his last name to avoid child support. Growing up in a single-mom home with four young step-brothers, Karissa understood the meaning of struggle, and sought something away from home to occasionally escape the weight and responsibility of her role. She discovered the power of volunteering and the comfort that comes from helping someone in greater need.\r\n\r\n“I didn’t want to be a babysitter and volunteered a lot to be away from home,” says Karissa. But along the way something magical happened. “Helping people is the best thing you can do for yourself and for others,” she says. “I just love that feeling.”\r\n\r\nShe carried that ethic with her as a <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting</a> student at the <a title="SJVC Temecula" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/temecula/" target="_blank">Temecula</a> campus, where just a few months into her program she was already racking up accolades, including Dean’s List honors. She received the <i>Notable Newbie Award, Inspirational Involvement Award </i>(voted unanimously by faculty) and was selected as one of the student representatives to meet with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), during a site visit. Karissa’s volunteer and leadership efforts were astounding – especially on a campus barely a year old.\r\n\r\nSome of her SJVC clubs, volunteerism and leadership roles included: Diversity Club; ASB where as President and sole member, Karissa recruited three other students to join; Blood Drive, where she helped set a campus record; HOSA Heart Walk; Life Stream’s ‘Be the Match’, where she helped register students who donated blood and who could later be determined to have a blood match to someone with a blood disorder/disease; ASB canned food drive; Christmas tree gift drive – where she hand-painted a Christmas tree with bright gifts – and the Diversity Club’s suicide prevention awareness campaign – a special cause for Karissa who experienced such a loss within her own family.\r\n\r\nKarissa, who is pretty modest about her talent for leadership and motivation for others to jump in, is philosophical.\r\n\r\n“I figure, well, who else is going to do it, you know?” So, she just starts making fliers, starting sign-up sheets and planning photo opportunities and asks, “Who’s with me?”\r\n\r\n“Karissa is a born leader,” offers John Hall, Dean of Student Services. “When she is involved, I know the organization will not have a long leadership transition, because she is always giving people the opportunity to step up and perform to their abilities.”\r\n\r\nShe also recognizes that many people with jobs, families and other obligations don’t have room in their lives for volunteering. She sees the career benefits that spring up during many of those selfless efforts, however, and encourages others to push themselves.\r\n\r\n“You never know when you might see somebody that you can call when you’re ready for a job, or learn something that you didn’t get in class that will make you better at what you do,” she says. “Get involved; it’s the best way of networking.”\r\n\r\nKarissa, who worked at Picture People until the end of her CAMA program, graduated in November and is now working at Pacific Dermatology in Temecula doing what she loves best: helping people feel better. Her plan is to continue her education to become a Registered Nurse, so that she might better serve those in need.\r\n\r\n“I want to do as much as I can on this earth,” says Karissa. “I want to inspire and touch other people’s hearts and let them know I care about them.”\r\n\r\nKarissa says she has learned as much about what she doesn’t want to do as she has about what she clearly wants in her life, primarily from watching her mother, Sylvia.\r\n\r\n“It’s been very difficult for her to move forward and stay ahead,” says Karissa. “I don’t want to make some of those same mistakes. But, she has been going to school since I was born and now is working toward getting a job. I am proud of her recent efforts and so hopeful that it will get better for her.”\r\n\r\nKarissa, who has lived with her Aunt Corina and Uncle Jeff since she was 17, appreciates all the help and support they provide. “I am thankful every day to have had them in my life,” she says. Family is still one of the most important influences in Karissa’s life and she credits her aunt and uncle, as well as boyfriend, Dion, with helping her to get to this point in life.\r\n\r\nKarissa values all of the influences in her young life. “Ever since I was little I have had a strong faith, and that’s what really pushes me the most,” she says. “I have my mother to thank for that. She is the one that introduced me to the Lord and gave me something bigger to believe in.”', 'CAMA student discovers powerful career boost', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'cama-student-discovers-powerful-career-boost', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/', '2014-10-02 11:17:35', '2014-10-02 18:17:35', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/cama-student-discovers-powerful-career-boost', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12471, 17, '2014-01-06 12:30:00', '2014-01-06 20:30:00', '[caption id="attachment_2082" align="alignleft" width="204"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2082" title="Chelsy Samuels and her little sister Kellie" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2-204x300.jpg" alt="Chelsy Samuels and her little sister Kellie" width="204" height="300" /> Chelsy Samuels has had a difficult life so far, but she still has worked hard to provide for her little sister.[/caption]\r\n\r\nTwenty year old Chelsy Samuels never had a role model to guide her through difficult decisions or show her how to navigate rocky relationships or strive for something positive in her life. She had to figure all that out on her own. Her mom was lost in a wasteland of drugs and abusive boyfriends and could not be counted on to protect her or her 7-year old half-sister, Kellie, from the trappings of that unstable life. It all changed last March.\r\n\r\n“I’d been working double shifts, seven days a week at the coffee house to get my mom and my sister out of that house,” says Chelsy. “It was a party house where gangbangers hung out, and the house was dirty with cockroaches everywhere; not a suitable place for Kellie.”\r\n\r\nThings escalated when Chelsy went to her mom’s one day and found her with her face swollen and bruised and, as it turned out, a broken rib. Chelsy did not want Kellie exposed to such violence and was not leaving the house without her. But her mom resisted Kellie leaving; the police were called and Chelsy and her mom began a short-lived custody battle. Her mom’s refusal to take a drug test sealed her parenting fate.\r\n\r\nWithin weeks Chelsy was awarded full guardianship of Kellie, and they began a life in a shared home with Chelsy’s boyfriend, Jason, and her good friend, John.\r\n\r\nSoon, however, Chelsy found herself in the Emergency Room with terrible stomach pain. A mass was discovered on each ovary – one benign and one active and diagnosed as pre-cancerous. She had lost her coffee shop job and was panicked at how she was going to fulfill her responsibilities of providing for Kellie. She did not want her ovaries removed, as she hopes to have her own children one day. She is seeking additional medical advice before any extraordinary or irreversible steps are taken.\r\n\r\n“I didn’t want to be doing nothing, so I decided I would get a degree or certification so that even if I did have cancer I’d have something for back-up in my life,” says Chelsy.\r\n\r\nShe enrolled in SJVC’s <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical Medical Assisting</a> certificate program in <a title="SJVC Modesto" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/" target="_blank">Modesto</a> and began to organize her life in blocks of program modules and 2-month doctor visits. To her surprise, a few unexpected people lined up to show support. In addition to Kellie, Jason, John and her cousin, Sarah, who enrolled in the CMA program with her, Chelsy found SJVC staff and faculty cheering her on.\r\n\r\nJackie Kohler, Chelsy’s Admissions Advisor and Miss. Baughn, who teaches her lab class, have supported Chelsy’s efforts.\r\n\r\n“I could talk with Jackie Kohler about anything, and Miss Baughn works with you and makes you understand,” says Chelsy, who admits she never got along very well with her high school teachers. “They care what’s going on in your personal life. It makes me proud of my decision to be here and showed me I chose the right school.”\r\n\r\n“Chelsy’s long-term goal is to work in hospice or pediatrics because she stayed with her grandma while she was in hospice and she realizes that not many people have the heart to help people pass away comfortably,” says Alyssa Bahr, Dean of Students.\r\n\r\nLife has changed a lot for Chelsy and Kellie. Chelsy is more confident that her dreams for the future are attainable and that she and Kellie can be free of a life her mother imposed on them. Kellie is blossoming in Chelsy’s care.\r\n\r\n“Kellie is the happiest and in the best health she has ever been,” says Chelsy. “All her teachers, everyone sees it. She is making straight As and I’m so proud of her.”\r\n\r\nChelsy cooks for Kellie every day, goes for bike rides in the park with her and puts her to bed at a normal time. “She thanks me for getting her to bed at the right time,” says Chelsy. “She never had that before and it makes me so happy that we can do that.”\r\n\r\nChelsy has less hope for her mom, who calls Kellie every couple of nights. “She still doesn’t sound right,” says Chelsy, who does not think her mom will get better until she hits ‘rock bottom’.\r\n\r\nThe past holds little power over Chelsy and Kellie, now eight. “We both had to grow up a lot quicker than we expected to,” says Chelsy, who knows they are each others’ greatest source of inspiration.\r\n\r\n“She walks up to me and says, ‘I can’t wait to go to college like my Sissy and get a job,’” says Chelsy. “She and I will break the cycle of our drug addict family; I’m going to help her do that.”', 'CMA student breaks cycle of family dysfunction', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'cma-student-breaks-cycle-of-family-dysfunction', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/', '2014-10-02 11:18:29', '2014-10-02 18:18:29', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/cma-student-breaks-cycle-of-family-dysfunction', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12472, 17, '2014-01-07 10:00:00', '2014-01-07 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2088" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2088" title="SJVC San Diego Volunteers" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/photo-3-300x224.jpg" alt="SJVC San Diego Volunteers" width="300" height="224" /> SJVC students and staff volunteered their time and expertise to help provide dental care to the many who would otherwise go without.[/caption]\r\n\r\nMany of San Diego’s homeless and low-income families in need of dental care spent the night in a huge tent outside the Del Mar Fairground’s Exhibit Hall for a first-in-line advantage to participate in the 3-day <i>California Dental Association Cares</i> event. Aimed at providing much needed dental care to those who cannot afford it, <i>CDA Cares</i>, sponsored by the California Dental Association Foundation, served over 2,200 patients during this December 6-8 event.\r\n\r\nSJVC’s <a title="SJVC San Diego" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/san-diego/" target="_blank">San Diego</a> campus, whose <a title="Dental Hygiene program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/" target="_blank">Dental Hygiene</a> program is its exclusive career training offering, participated at all levels of service for this event, which included medical triage (to screen participants for medical eligibility for services), dental triage, x-rays, dental hygiene (cleaning), fillings, extractions and impressions for dentures.\r\n\r\nEvery Dental Hygiene student – including those who just began their first class the week before – along with every faculty and staff member from the San Diego campus, joined in the effort to bring dental care to those in need. Beginning and senior students benefited from direct interaction with patients, as well as the enormous satisfaction they gained from their volunteer experience.\r\n\r\n“Our new students were motivated to learn so they can continue to help others, and the more experienced students are excited to graduate and be able to give back to the communities they are living in,” says Jean Honny, Campus Director and DH Program Director.  “One student said, ‘I think I got more out of this experience than the patients did. ‘It really felt good to help someone in need.’”\r\n\r\nThe California Dental Association Foundation, who puts on this event as least twice a year in CA, estimates that as many as 10 million Californians do not receive dental care because they are uninsured due to job loss or they are homeless, as are many military veterans. Many children are left out, as their families struggle in low-income jobs without dental benefits.\r\n\r\nOver 100 dental chairs were provided, including 24 devoted to dental hygiene and 12 to pediatric dentistry, along with sterilization areas to keep instruments at the ready. Nurses and EMTs were on site to provide emergency response, if needed. The event filled the entire convention center exhibit hall.\r\n\r\nThroughout the three days, long lines of patients wound their way through screening, examinations and treatments toward much–needed reparation and healthier dental hygiene.\r\n\r\nMore than 1,700 dental health professionals and volunteers provided approximately $1.62 million in dental services to those in greatest need and most unable to afford them.\r\n\r\n“Everyone we treated was so grateful,” says Jean Honny, Campus Director and DH Program Director. “At the end, our students were giving people our phone number so they could come here and continue treatment.”\r\n\r\nSJVC is proud to have sponsored this event by donating funds to operate a dental chair, as well as provided staff, faculty and students in support of such a heartfelt community need.', 'Entire Campus and Dental Hygiene program volunteer for dental health event', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'entire-campus-and-dental-hygiene-program-volunteer-for-dental-health-event', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/san-diego/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/', '2014-10-02 11:18:11', '2014-10-02 18:18:11', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/entire-campus-and-dental-hygiene-program-volunteer-for-dental-health-event', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12473, 14, '2014-01-07 12:00:00', '2014-01-07 20:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2094" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2094" title="Alaine Johnson and her husband" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/alaine-300x199.jpg" alt="Alaine Johnson and her husband" width="300" height="199" /> Alaine''s past has taken her through banking and other odd jobs, medical work, before settling down at SJVC.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<a title="SJVC Modesto" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/" target="_blank">Modesto</a> Health Studies Division Manager Alaine Johnson, while now an experienced health-worker-turned-instructor, was not always in the medical field.\r\n\r\nAlaine’s career started in banking. For over seventeen years, she continued on this path. After becoming a Commercial Banking Officer for Bank of America, she had a realization:\r\n\r\n“It wasn’t what I really wanted to do,” she says. “It just wasn’t very rewarding.”\r\n\r\nSo after nearly two decades in the workforce, Alaine returned to school. She got two Associate’s Degrees, one in Clinical Medical Assisting and the other in Medical Office Administration. It was with these qualifications that she started down her next path in life.\r\n\r\nShe started at the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula (or CHOMP as she and her colleagues called it). As a lab assistant, she proved a vital and effective part of the diagnostic process. After ten years of hard work, she had gained a passion for her work, and became Administrative Assistant to the Laboratory Director.\r\n\r\nBut her life would take an unexpected turn when tragedy struck. Alaine’s brother was killed in a car wreck. The laboratory technician and her husband moved back to Modesto to be with family.\r\n\r\nThey were not quite sure what they would do when they got there. Alaine had lived around Monterey for around forty years, and was now in a new place with no job. It was then that Stephanie Baughn, an SJVC medical assisting instructor and a friend of hers, suggested she look into work at the college. She was brought in. Her first night working the campus dean entered and offered Alaine full time work.\r\n\r\nNow, Alaine serves as the Health Studies Division Manager, where she oversees five different programs: <a title="Pharmacy Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology/" target="_blank">Pharmacy Technology</a>, <a title="Medical Office program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-office/" target="_blank">Medical Office Administration</a>, <a title="Therapeutic Massage program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/therapeutic-massage/" target="_blank">Therapeutic Massage</a>, and both the <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">CMA</a> and <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">CAMA</a> programs.\r\n\r\nBut Alaine’s favorite part of her job is not curricula, administration, or management, but working with her students.\r\n\r\n“I love seeing SJVC students turn the corner, when they get the big picture,” says Alaine. “I like watching the transformation from timidity to confidence in the workplace. As an instructor it’s exciting to hear students come back and say they’re earning good money.”\r\n\r\n“She’s really good at working with students to help them make their goals,” says Sean Hancock, Modesto Campus Director. “She has a sincere desire to work through their challenges. She is earnest yet kind, and has a passionate approach with her students.”\r\n\r\nBut she is quick to point out that she would not be able to do any of it without all the dedicated faculty members on her team. The successes of their programs are the products of teamwork, not of any single individual.\r\n\r\nJust this last year, she received an award recognizing her valuable work. American Medical Technologists named her Outstanding Educator of the Year for 2013.\r\n\r\n“I love my job,” she says simply.\r\n\r\nAnd SJVC is all the better for that fact. Students and staff alike appreciate Alaine for her hard work and compassionate manner.\r\n\r\nSJVC is lucky to have her.', 'Modesto Campus Division Manager a “Model Employee”', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'modesto-campus-division-manager-a-model-employee', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/therapeutic-massage/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology/', '2014-10-02 11:17:51', '2014-10-02 18:17:51', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto-campus-division-manager-a-model-employee', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(12474, 17, '2014-01-13 10:00:00', '2014-01-13 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2101" align="alignleft" width="225"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2101" title="Matthew Harbawi" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/999566_10202412852547148_1203967902_n-225x300.jpg" alt="Matthew Harbawi" width="225" height="300" /> After a multitude of odd jobs, Matthew had finally settled on a career he would be proud of.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAsk 27-year old Matthew Harbawi what kinds of jobs he has held in his work-life and he will tell you that the list of what he has <i>not</i> done is shorter. His first job, at age fifteen, was lifeguard at a local public swimming pool, where he fished a few panicked youths out of the water. That experience was a great springboard for an array of test-careers that followed.\r\n\r\nMatthew has been in sales, transportation, customer service, a cable TV retention specialist (“lots of people yelling at me”), bank teller, waiter, cook, dock worker, box packer, caregiver, and he even sold men’s suits at Macy’s. He does not see this checkered work history as a disadvantage, however.\r\n\r\n“The fact that I’ve done so many types of jobs has shown me what I’m good at, what my weaknesses are and what I really want to do,” says Matthew. “I’m not like those people in career limbo. I do not have the questions of, ‘Can I do this? How will I do this? Will I be good at this?’”\r\n\r\nHe will also tell you that the most important job he has ever had is the one he is doing right now. Matthew lives with and cares for his Uncle Chris, who has cancer and who is also struggling with the effects of a second long-term illness. Matthew and a couple of other family members help his uncle with his ongoing needs, including doctor visits.\r\n\r\nIn fact, it was his uncle’s illness that motivated Matt to enroll in SJVC’s Respiratory Therapy program in <a title="SJVC Rancho Cordova" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/rancho-cordova/" target="_blank">Rancho Cordova</a>. Although respiratory therapy has no connection to his uncle’s conditions, Matthew came to realize that sense of satisfaction you get helping someone struggling with health issues.\r\n\r\n“I’ve been doing this long enough that it motivated me to get in to the medical field,” says Matthew. “When it comes to your life, health is very important, and I want to make a difference in people’s health.”\r\n\r\nMatthew knew during his first month of <a title="Respiratory Therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/" target="_blank">RT</a> classes that he was in the right place. “I knew right away that A) I could do this and B) this is where I belong.”\r\n\r\nLooking back over the last 9-months of the program, Matthew admits to feeling pretty overwhelmed by all of the information that had to be memorized. The bond among students in the program helped to balance that stress with the comfort, trust and teamwork he found in the classroom.\r\n\r\n“We spend more time with each other than our own families, and we’ve become a sort of second family to each other,” says Matt. “There have been so many of those good moments of just red-faced cracking up, laughing so hard it makes you cry.”\r\n\r\nMatthew has just slipped under his many months of a steady 4.0 GPA, and still finds time to volunteer for Autism Speaks and Habitat for Humanity. He received an Honorable Mention in a nationwide essay contest for Mesothelioma, for which he was given an award. This year he plans to compete once again.\r\n\r\n“Matt’s participation in this contest helped to raise awareness of mesothelioma, while also helping to defray some of his education costs,” says Nancy Meredith, Scholarship Coordinator.\r\n\r\nMatthew knows he is where he should be and credits his uncle Chris as his inspiration to be here.\r\n\r\n“He helped raise me, and when he was first diagnosed with cancer he basically said to me, ‘You’ve done a lot of things, but you haven’t done much,’” says Matt. “He said, ‘I want you to do something with your life.’” Matthew took his uncle’s message to heart.\r\n\r\n“So that’s what I’m doing. Something. It sounds simple, but it was a nice way of putting boot to rear,” says Matt.\r\n\r\nThat ‘something’ carries him forward. “I just kind of take it one day, one semester at a time,” says Matthew, who plans to continue his education as his career evolves. “Someone said, ‘when you stop learning, you stop living’.” He hears Chris’s words, “Just do your best.”\r\n\r\nMatt’s uncle Chris’s influence is felt on an even deeper level. “I just try and enjoy every moment that I’m given and realize that it can all be taken away at any time,” says Matt. “If I can’t enjoy the small things in life, then what am I doing here.”\r\n\r\nWhen asked if there is something he would like to say to his Uncle Chris who so inspires him, Matt says, “Nothing I haven’t told him already and nothing I don’t tell him every day.”\r\n\r\nTake a moment to follow Matthew’s lead if there is someone in your life who gives you that kind of support and love.', 'Jack of all Trades makes Respiratory Therapy career commitment', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'jack-of-all-trades-makes-respiratory-therapy-career-commitment', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:17:17', '2014-10-02 18:17:17', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/jack-of-all-trades-makes-respiratory-therapy-career-commitment', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12475, 17, '2014-01-14 10:00:00', '2014-01-14 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2106" align="alignleft" width="294"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2106" title="Julia Foss" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Foss-Julia2-294x300.jpg" alt="Julia Foss" width="294" height="300" /> Julia has never planned to be an instructor before, but after working as a Respiratory Therapist for several years, the pieces just fell into place.[/caption]\r\n<p align="center"><b><i>“She </i></b>(Julia Foss) <b><i>is truly an amazing instructor who works hard, stays late and</i></b></p>\r\n<p align="center"><b><i> does whatever she can to help make sure we understand the material.”</i></b></p>\r\n<p style="text-align: right;">                                                             – Desiree Trejo,</p>\r\n<p style="text-align: right;">RT student</p>\r\n“One of my biggest thrills is knowing that my students are enjoying my class, because it is very important for students to have a positive and fun environment to promote learning,” says Julia Foss, <a title="Respiratory Therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/" target="_blank">Respiratory Therapy</a> instructor at the <a title="SJVC Temecula" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/temecula/" target="_blank">Temecula</a> campus. “It’s nice to see they’re happy with what I am doing.”\r\n\r\nMrs. Foss especially appreciates the support SJVC gives teachers.  “Our SLO (Student Learning Outcomes) guidelines help me teach students the course goals, while also giving us teachers some autonomy. That allows me to find creative ways to reach the students.”\r\n\r\nBut, within the fun parts are a lot of important and difficult professional and life lessons for students to absorb. The curriculum is intense and during externship, when students are in patient care rotation in addition to their course work, their workload doubles. “Watching students transform from not being able to even turn on a mechanical ventilator to being able to run the machine on a human being is an unbelievable transformation,” says Mrs. Foss. When uncertainty overtakes them she says, “Strive to be the best you can be and you’re going to be great.”\r\n\r\nJulia Foss did not plan to be a teacher. For several years she worked as a Respiratory Therapist in the home-health industry. She spent lots of time teaching patients and their families how to use their therapeutic equipment at home. Relocation had her looking online for something new. Seeing SJVC’s ad for an RT instructor she thought, “Hmm, that could be me.” Turns out, she was right.\r\n\r\nBeyond her teaching talents, Julia feels tremendous compassion for what her students must go through, both professionally and personally, to succeed in this field. Students’ externship in the real world of patient care puts them in the middle of intense life and death situations. “We talk about their clinical experiences every week in class,” says Foss. “They help save lives and they’ve seen people die,” she says. “We’ve cried together.”\r\n\r\nWhat Julia most hopes to give to her students is the drive to always be their best; to take the time to care and make a difference in a patient’s life.', 'Instructor relishes the transformation of education', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'instructor-relishes-the-transformation-of-education', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/', '2014-10-02 11:17:00', '2014-10-02 18:17:00', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/instructor-relishes-the-transformation-of-education', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12476, 17, '2014-01-16 10:00:00', '2014-01-16 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2117" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2117 " title="Steve Cichos" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DSCF7347-copy-300x200.jpg" alt="Steve Cichos" width="300" height="200" /> After spending a good many years in the construction industry, Steve decided to go back to school, all the while caring for nine kids.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAlthough Steve Cichos had been a bricklayer in the construction business for over 20-years, he knew that with layoffs becoming more common, he would have to go deeper if he was going to stay in this business.  “There was less and less work and finances were getting less and less sufficient,” says Steve.  But he didn’t want to walk away from all of those years of experience and knowledge he had gained in the construction industry.\r\n\r\nThe <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> <a title="Construction Management program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/construction-management/" target="_blank">Construction Management</a> degree program was the perfect solution for someone still working 30-plus hours a week – when the work was there.\r\n\r\nIt took Steve a little while to settle into the routine and the demands of being a student again, especially since the last time he cracked a textbook was in high school.  His greatest challenge was “Getting my mind back to going to school and to think again at that kind of level,” he says. But, he wasn’t too worried.\r\n\r\nSteve had a routine for class assignments, deadlines and online posts. The family computer is downstairs in the kids’ playroom, so you might think that concentration was a little hard to come by. Not for Steve. “It wasn’t too bad; I’m used to the commotion,” he says.\r\n\r\nIt turns out Steve was right. A regular on the Dean’s List, he maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his CM program. “After I got my first A, I just kind of went for it,” he says.  And, little eyes were watching – all 9 sets. “Having the kids watch me and pay attention to my grades was even more incentive for me to do it,” says Steve. “And, if I wasn’t doing it, I couldn’t expect them to do it.” It might have even gotten a little competitive.\r\n\r\nHis sixteen year-old, Carolyn, recently graduated from high school with a 4.0 GPA, was Valedictorian and has already tucked away 45-college units. Steve and his wife, Terrie, are proud of all of their children.\r\n\r\nSteve graduated in April and is busy sending out resumes to companies he might like to join. He is optimistic about his qualifications and knows a degree can make all the difference.  “I think a degree sets my resume apart from others applying for the same position,” he says.\r\n\r\nLooking back, Steve credits his wife and kids with supporting his decision to continue his education.  But, he also has a strong sense of completing what he starts.  “At first it was financial,” he says, of his motivation. “But, then I got into it and wanted to not just finish what I started, but do well.”\r\n\r\nNow Steve is in a position to pass the lessons of his success on to others: “I think if you keep the goal in mind and take it one unit at a time, it all works out fine.”', 'Father of Nine Digs In', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'father-of-nine-digs-in-2', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/construction-management/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/', '2014-10-02 11:16:40', '2014-10-02 18:16:40', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/father-of-nine-digs-in-2', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12477, 14, '2014-01-21 10:00:00', '2014-01-21 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2122" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2122" title="The Online Career Services Team" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Career-Services2-300x178.jpg" alt="The Online Career Services Team" width="300" height="178" /> These four men and women work to the best of their ability to provide the best employment opportunities for SJVC graduates.[/caption]\r\n\r\nA degree is a great investment for the future, but it is only a single part of a multitude of things necessary to attain stable employment. Even with a stunning resume, an applicant must still impress with their interview.\r\n\r\nAt each on-ground campus, SJVC students are able to meet and work with a Career Services Department that assists students and graduates in all stages of the grad-to-employee process: from resume to interview to the first day on the job.\r\n\r\n<a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">SJVC Online</a> has a creative approach to offering the same services to students throughout the country.\r\n\r\nThe Online Career Services team reaches out to students they will most likely never meet in person to help them secure externship experience before graduation and employment after.\r\n\r\nBryan Campbell, the Online Career Services Manager, is a graduate of SJVC itself and twenty-year veteran the staffing industry who knows intimately the experience of a student, putting him in the perfect position to advise them.\r\n\r\nTiffany Loken, one of the four Career Services advisors, is known to care for her students beyond scholastic concerns.\r\n\r\n“She has the biggest heart you’ll ever see,” says Bryan Campbell. “She wants to help with everything.”\r\n\r\nJane LeBarge, one of the first and longest-serving advisors, has a stand-out reputation for being dedicated to the success of her students.\r\n\r\nLastly, advisor Ivan Melchor , despite being the newest member of the team, managed to exceed his graduate placement goals.\r\n\r\nTogether, these four individuals help recent online graduates find employment.\r\n\r\n“It can be difficult, when you aren’t familiar with the area” says Tekla Patton, Online Student Advisor. “Our advisors live in California but a student could be as far away as New York.”\r\n\r\nLocal connections cannot be utilized, and new ones must be made miles away. Differing time zones across the country can complicate matters further.\r\n\r\n“We’re missing a major piece by being on the phone, “says Bryan. “Communication is mostly non-verbal.”\r\n\r\nCreative hurdle jumping is a must for the Online Career Services team. With technology, student and advisor, in reality states apart, can be in the same room. Webcams and Skype empower the team to interact closely with their students, playing our mock job interviews and addressing concerns “in person”. Video technology allows advisors to inform the student on what they’re doing right, and point out areas that need improvement.\r\n\r\n“Not too flashy, you’re fidgeting, sit up straight, don’t talk with your hands.”\r\n\r\nEven the attire can be reviewed, ensuring the students dress correctly for a interviews\r\n\r\nIt is a day-to-day commitment from the advisors to do all they can to help distant students succeed after graduation.\r\n\r\n“I appreciate all they do, the calls they make,” says Bryan. “It’s crazy how many they make. The students don’t even know how hard they work for them.”', 'Online Career Services Team gets creative to overcome great distances', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'online-career-services-team-gets-creative-to-overcome-great-distances', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:16:23', '2014-10-02 18:16:23', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/online-career-services-team-gets-creative-to-overcome-great-distances', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12478, 14, '2014-01-28 10:00:00', '2014-01-28 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2126" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2126" title="John Loyko" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/photo2-300x281.jpg" alt="John Loyko" width="300" height="281" /> Only several months in, John managed to get the best placement rate of any career services advisor at SJVC.[/caption]\r\n\r\nJohn Loyko is one of the newest SJVC employees, but has already managed to distinguish himself.\r\n\r\n“He got the most placements in SJVC history, ever,” says Christen Rodriguez, <a title="SJVC Fresno" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/" target="_blank">SJVC Fresno</a> Career Services Manager. That is a feat all in the career services department can respect.\r\n\r\nOriginally from Clovis, John left the valley for his schooling at Point Loma in Business Finance, before returning to continue his education at Fresno Pacific. Afterward, he worked in the education sector, gaining experience is financial matters, in particular financial aid\r\n\r\nAfter this stint in educational work in Los Angeles, John returned permanently to Fresno, where he was hired by SJVC.\r\n\r\nA Career Services hire from early September, John has not had much time to show how well he can execute the duties of his job. Nevertheless, with a mere three months under his belt, he broke the record for graduate job placements in the history of the school.\r\n\r\nHis job consists of a lot of phone time with potential employers. It is up to him to choose the best student for each job.\r\n\r\n“If an employer tells me what they want, I already know who I’m going to suggest,” says John.\r\n\r\nRelationships are an important part of John’s success. The better John knows the students, the better he is able to advocate for them when the time comes to find a job.\r\n\r\n“You get to know them on a personal level,” he says. “Learn their work ethic, their personality. So when graduation\r\n<div style="position: absolute; left: -3167px; top: -3986px;">I deordorizer telling <a href="http://www.palyinfocus.com/rmr/buy-cialis-online/">http://www.palyinfocus.com/rmr/buy-cialis-online/</a> yellow Will set <a href="http://www.parapluiedecherbourg.com/jbj/buy-generic-cialis.php">parapluiedecherbourg.com buy generic cialis</a> hours to? Half <a href="http://www.handicappershideaway.com/qox/cialis-vs-viagra" rel="nofollow">http://www.handicappershideaway.com/qox/cialis-vs-viagra</a> like day- the <a href="http://www.mimareadirectors.org/anp/viagra-price">viagra price</a> day was perfect <a href="http://www.ifr-lcf.com/zth/viagra-price/">viagra price</a> during today things complete I <a href="http://www.ifr-lcf.com/zth/order-viagra/">viagra from canada or china</a> moisterizer Paul. And <a href="http://www.oxnardsoroptimist.org/dada/cialis-dosage.html">http://www.oxnardsoroptimist.org/dada/cialis-dosage.html</a> makeup too see should fragrance. Let <a href="http://www.mycomax.com/lan/buy-viagra-online.php">buy viagra online</a> Get every <a href="http://www.mycomax.com/lan/natural-viagra.php">http://www.mycomax.com/lan/natural-viagra.php</a> days so the <a href="http://www.oxnardsoroptimist.org/dada/cialis-dosage.html">cialis dosage</a> I enough but, hands <a href="http://www.parapluiedecherbourg.com/jbj/cheap-cialis.php">cheap cialis</a> experiences I around check-out <a href="http://www.ochumanrelations.org/sqp/order-cialis.php">cheapest cialis super active</a> not cracking is Update.</div>\r\ncomes along, they know I’m on their side.”\r\n\r\nRegardless of his current success, John notes that the beginning was difficult\r\n\r\n“I was so new, and I had thirty-one students to look after. It was just overwhelming.”\r\n\r\nJohn is quick to say that he is not singularly responsible for his placement success.\r\n\r\nBut in no way does he feel singularly responsible for this achievement.\r\n\r\n“My success was due to my manager and coworkers,” says John. “Without them, there’s absolutely no way I could have done it.”\r\n\r\nWhen asked if he intended on breaking his own record, John laughed.\r\n\r\n“That’d be a nice goal to shoot for.”\r\n\r\nBut he took little time to reiterate how much his career services team was necessary for his success.\r\n\r\n“They were a big part of me hitting that number.”', 'New Employee shatters record in Career Services Department', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'new-employee-shatters-record-in-career-services-department', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:15:38', '2014-10-02 18:15:38', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/new-employee-shatters-record-in-career-services-department', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12479, 14, '2014-01-23 10:00:00', '2014-01-23 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2137" align="alignleft" width="164"]<img class="size-full wp-image-2137" title="Dana Riley" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/spotlight2.jpg" alt="Dana Riley" width="164" height="187" /> With children and a hectic job, Dana did not have time to go back to school, until she found an online option, that is.[/caption]\r\n\r\nSometimes an online program is the perfect match for those whose busy schedules interfere with traditional education.\r\n\r\nDana Riley is one of the students, an <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">SJVC Online</a> student from Kentucky. For years, she worked in a nursing home, but the unpredictable hours and her young children kept her tired and hardly in a position to go back to school.\r\n\r\nUltimately, SJVC’s Online <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical Medical Assisting</a> program was exactly what she needed. Tekla Patton was her student advisor, but their conversations were shorter and less frequent than with other students.\r\n\r\n“She didn’t need a lot of help,” Tekla says. “She was very independent. She could do a lot of things on her own.”\r\n\r\n“I had time to sit down and study,” says Dana. “I could do things at my own pace.”\r\n\r\nDana points to the online program’s flexibility as one of the greatest causes of her success. Traditional education would not have given her the time to properly care for her children and work a job at the same time.\r\n\r\n“I started and stopped because of the kids,” Dana says. “But because it was online, I could take a break, help the kids with homework, then go back to my studies.”\r\n\r\nAs any parent knows, looking after kids can be both exhausting and time-consuming. With the online program, Dana could set aside her schooling for her family, to return to it later when she had free time.\r\n\r\nDespite all the distractions and prior commitments, Dana performed admirably.\r\n\r\n“She only had one ‘B’,” says Tekla. “So she made Dean’s List every time.”\r\n\r\nThe Dean’s list is a special honor reserved for students who manage to keep their grade point average at 3.25 or above. Needless to say, Dana achieved the distinction in every module she was in, despite her kids at home and her job.\r\n\r\n“Caring for her children while pulling that GPA is a great accomplishment,” says Tekla.\r\n\r\nBetter yet, it was not long after graduation that Dana found a new job working at a General Practitioner’s office.\r\n\r\n“The work schedule is a lot better,” Dana says.\r\n\r\nNow she has much more time to be with her kids.\r\n\r\n“I feel very accomplished.”', 'Online education offers the freedom necessary to excel', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'online-education-offers-freedom-necessary-to-excel', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:16:08', '2014-10-02 18:16:08', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/online-education-offers-freedom-necessary-to-excel', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12480, 17, '2014-02-04 10:00:00', '2014-02-04 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2134" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2134 " title="James Maddox" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/James-Maddox2-300x270.jpg" alt="James Maddox" width="300" height="270" /> This Respiratory Therapy Instructor is not content to merely see his students graduate, but to see them get involved in the community.[/caption]\r\n\r\nRT instructor, James Maddox, loves to see the expressions on his students’ faces the first time they ‘get it’; that moment when they realize their lives are about to change forever.\r\n\r\n“New RT students have done a great job investigating the RT field and have a good grasp of our field of work,” says Maddox, who has taught RT classes at the <a title="SJVC Rancho Cordova" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/rancho-cordova/" target="_blank">Rancho Cordova</a> campus for three years. “However, many are still surprised at the scope and level of our medical practice. Some have had no medical experience, and trust their due diligence and the direction of others, advising them that Respiratory Therapy is a great career choice.”\r\n\r\nJames Maddox says that is it usually by the middle of Term 1 that it starts to come together for his students and becomes very clear to them what becoming a Respiratory Therapist is all about.\r\n\r\n“At this time they know how profoundly they will be involved with patients and their families,” says Maddox. “They realize that we’re the ones who put people on life support until they get better…or take them off life support if they are not going to get better.”\r\n\r\n<a title="Respiratory Therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/" target="_blank">Respiratory Therapists</a> work in close collaboration with medical doctors and Registered Nurses to take care of patients with minor and severe respiratory illnesses or other cardiopulmonary disorders.\r\n\r\nAlthough RT students may have entered into this elite program from diverse and unrelated employment backgrounds – everything from fast food and financial services to retail sales – they quickly realize the potential for their futures to shift dramatically in this versatile and privileged career.\r\n\r\n“We change their lives and their professional demeanor,” says James. “I tell my students that they are in the process of becoming a professional RT, and I challenge them to ask themselves constantly, ‘What kind of RT am I going to be.’” Mr. Maddox plans to hold them to their decision.\r\n\r\n“I am reaching into them and grabbing whatever I have to grab to get them to their best potential to help them discover the best they can be,” he says. “They are challenged at levels they have never been challenged at before. To see them grow into that level of maturity is pretty phenomenal.”\r\n\r\nProgram success is not enough, however. James Maddox is both personally and professionally committed to helping the less fortunate. Volunteerism is not only a way of life for him; he intends for each of his students to know what he knows about the deep sense of accomplishment that comes from helping others.\r\n\r\nThe American Lung Association, Folsom Cordova Community Partnership’s annual Health Fair and the Sacramento Food Bank are among the beneficiaries of James’s philosophy and commitment. James wants his students to realize that “leadership begins with servant-hood”.\r\n\r\n“Our students have seen how they can impact other people and change lives…and it changes them,” says Maddox. “There is a noticeable difference in their tone and their sense of themselves that makes them more appreciate what they have. The SJVC system is as much about forming our students into great citizens and professionals, as it is about giving them the tools to be great Respiratory Therapists.”\r\n\r\n“Mr. Maddox has a true passion for serving others,” says Amy Bianco, Dean of Student Services. “He inspires those around him to volunteer and help individuals that are less fortunate.”\r\n\r\nJames Maddox knows about sacrifice first-hand. Going back generations, he is the first in his family to go to college. This single decision set him on a path toward greater abundance than he ever knew growing up. But, other influences were equally powerful.\r\n\r\n“Teaching is something I’ve always loved to do,” he says. A life-long Sunday school teacher, James is accustomed to touching the lives of others. “I discovered early on that I had a skill for teaching and could really cause people to think about where they were and where they wanted to be.”\r\n\r\nWith all that James gives others, he realizes that his spirit must be replenished and makes certain that there are times of restoration.\r\n\r\nHe and his wife of thirty-six years, Patty, and their children are very entrenched in their home life and “have a great fellowship of people we relax with”, says James.', 'Respiratory Therapy students in for big surprise', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'respiratory-therapy-students-in-for-big-surprise', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/rancho-cordova/', '2014-10-02 11:14:10', '2014-10-02 18:14:10', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy-students-in-for-big-surprise', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12481, 17, '2014-01-30 10:00:00', '2014-01-30 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2142" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2142" title="Roger Weaver" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/036b-300x225.jpg" alt="Roger Weaver" width="300" height="225" /> After a divorce brought Roger back to his home of Bakersfield, he put his natural talents in massage to good use.[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor years friends told Roger Weaver that he had a ‘great sense of touch…amazing hands’ and a giving nature, so it was not a huge surprise for him to find himself in the Therapeutic Massage program at SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Bakersfield" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/bakersfield/" target="_blank">Bakersfield</a> campus.\r\n\r\nRoger had found the 15-month <a title="Therapeutic Massage program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/therapeutic-massage/" target="_blank">TM</a> degree program online and “Doors just opened, financial aid and everything,” he says. “It was the perfect time and opportunity, and I was going to make this happen.”\r\n\r\nRoger was in need of a new direction. Already in his late 30s, he had spent much of his work life in a business management environment, as well as a few years as a pastor in the ministry. A recent divorce sent him from Reno back to his childhood home in Bakersfield. Roger’s only college experience was a couple of years in Bible College where, when he was nineteen, he “left early and walked away with nothing.”\r\n\r\nThis time it was going to be different.\r\n\r\nThe small Therapeutic Massage class of about ten students became the training ground to test the reality of his new career plan. Roger learned the importance of ‘body mechanics’ and excelled at its demonstration.\r\n\r\n“It’s how you stand and position yourself and your hands,” he says. “It’s how you don’t want to overreach when you perform a massage, so that you won’t injure yourself and so you also deliver a more effective massage. It is the proper body mechanics of using, not just your thumb, but your elbow and forearm,” he affirms.\r\n\r\nRoger’s understanding of technical applications and their fluid performance earned him a long line of student peers and eventually clients, during clinical studies. “When my instructor told me I was booked 5-weeks in advance and people were coming back and requesting me, I was very humble and it made me feel it was my destiny,” says Roger.\r\n\r\nMonths of near perfect attendance and high grade point averages made Roger a strong candidate for induction into the National Technical Honor Society. Only he and two other SJVC Bakersfield students who applied were accepted.\r\n\r\nRoger also stood out for his generosity to other students, many of whom he mentored throughout the program. “If I know something, I’ll share it,” says Roger. “It’s not my glory; I will always encourage others.”\r\n\r\n“Roger was well known on campus, as he has an amazing attitude and takes the time to mentor and coach others in his program,” says Chelsea Esquibias, Career Services Manager.\r\n\r\nHe also got a lot of encouragement – and massage practice – at home. His mom and dad, Judy and Roger, were used to friends and family coming by for their scheduled appointment. “Who wouldn’t want a free massage – but, I was a calendar person,” says Roger, who worked full-time throughout his program. “All my guinea pigs gave me full support.”\r\n\r\nA month before the completion of his TM program, Roger submitted an online application for a Massage Therapist position with Burke Williams Day Spa, one of the largest and most reputable spas in California. He was called within half an hour and invited to come to the Union City offices to begin the interview process. After meeting with various levels of representatives, Roger was happy to join their team.\r\n\r\n“Burke Williams was my first-choice because they are a hi-end, five-star organization with a reputation for treating their clients and staff well,” says Roger, who started to work at their San Jose spa right after graduation. “I knew I could have gone with them sooner, but I wanted to get that degree.”\r\n\r\n“My age and maturity might give me a different outlook than a younger person,” he says. “This is my long-term goal, not a fly-by-night, then move on to something else, kind of outlook. I am filled with awe that I have my dream job and am part of this company.”\r\n\r\nRoger has settled into a steady work routine and has begun to build a loyal clientele. He has his own philosophy about the power of human touch that makes him very good at his profession.\r\n\r\n“I love, love what I do – and that is huge,” he says. “I do massage as therapeutic relaxation, physical treatment, muscle tension relief, deep tissue, and breathing techniques – result-focused work. There’s a flow that happens, a positive energy that goes into the other person.”\r\n\r\nRoger’s innate talent for giving to others will likely find a larger scale eventually.\r\n\r\n“I definitely want to move into a teaching level,” he says. Roger will approach that goal as he has everything else of consequence: “boldly, but humbly,” he says.', 'Therapeutic Massage career matches natural abilities', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'therapeutic-massage-career-matches-natural-abilities', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:15:04', '2014-10-02 18:15:04', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/therapeutic-massage-career-matches-natural-abilities', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12482, 14, '2014-01-27 10:00:00', '2014-01-27 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2150" align="alignleft" width="139"]<img class="size-full wp-image-2150" title="Khampon Nasay-Partida" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ghngf.jpg" alt="Khampon Nasay-Partida" width="139" height="140" /> When a baby entered Khampon''s life, it became more difficult to juggle family and career.[/caption]\r\n\r\nSometimes, education can get pushed to the wayside, neglected or forgotten because of crisis or celebration.\r\n\r\nKhampon Nasay-Partida knew this all too well. She was not where she wanted to be in life.\r\n\r\n“I wasn’t having much luck in the career I wanted,” Khampon says.\r\n\r\nShe weighed all the options, researching program after program at all the available schools. It was not long until she found SJVC. She was interested, particularly in the online aspect. She finally decided to enroll in the <a title="Business Administration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/" target="_blank">Business Administration</a> program.\r\n\r\n“It was my first time attending an online school,” she says.\r\n\r\nEven if it was a first for her to study online, this was not the first time Khampon had tried going to school. However, each time she started school, life seemed to get in the way. Her last attempt had been cut short by an unexpected move. Distractions like these kept Khampon from getting the career she dreamed of having.\r\n\r\nKhampon found that SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> campus was a perfect match, because it could prevent many of her previous distractions from compromising her education. She enrolled, knowing this was the key to ensuring a better future for herself.\r\n\r\nKhampon enjoyed the program, and appreciated its “excellent faculty”. She became quite accustomed to the online aspect, preferring it to traditional on ground college educations. Everything was finally falling into place.\r\n\r\nKhampon passed her first two courses with flying colors, but soon discovered she was pregnant.\r\n\r\nThis was both a wonderful and a stressful thing. Despite the many new responsibilities heaped upon her by the pregnancy, she did her best to stay on top of her studies.\r\n\r\nStill, caring for a child changed everything. Things piled on and between caring for her newborn baby and a bout of postpartum depression, Khampon found herself falling behind.\r\n\r\n“It was difficult to make time for both a baby and school,” she says.\r\n\r\nIt was then that Khampon’s relationship with SJVC Online staff and faculty helped to pull her through. Her career advisor notified her that she was going over the time frame for graduating.\r\n\r\n“She was very understanding, making sure everything was okay,” says Khampon.\r\n\r\n“She needed a little help,” says Advisor Tekla Patton. “But she was still willing to ask.”\r\n\r\nUltimately, Khampon passed all her classes and graduated from the program. She is very thankful that the school was willing to make arrangements for her, to work within the hectic life of a new mother.\r\n\r\n“Everyone was willing to be understanding, which made a difficult task at least a little easier,” says Khampon.\r\n\r\nCongratulations on your graduation, Khampon!', 'Motherhood tests Online Student''s mettle', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'motherhood-tests-online-students-mettle', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/', '2014-10-02 11:15:54', '2014-10-02 18:15:54', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/motherhood-tests-online-students-mettle', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12483, 17, '2014-02-18 10:00:00', '2014-02-18 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2157" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2157  " title="Natalia Dominguez" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/photo-1b-300x225.jpg" alt="Natalia Dominguez" width="300" height="225" /> From admission to graduation, Learning Resource Coordinator Natalia Dominguez is with students every step of the way.[/caption]\r\n\r\nFew SJVC employees have the unique perspective Natalia Dominguez enjoys as Student Center/Learning Resource Coordinator, at <a title="SJVC Modesto" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/" target="_blank">Modesto</a> campus graduation ceremonies. She sees graduates cross the stage to get their degrees and certificates, and then guides them down the stairs to rejoin fellow graduates. But, she also gets to see how far they have come from the time they first met many months earlier.\r\n\r\n“I meet them before they even sign up for their program, then work with them while they are students, and now see their faces and witness their success at graduation,” says Ms. Dominguez. “To see that growth is so exciting for me – plus, I just get a ton of hugs as they leave the stage,” she laughs.\r\n\r\nAll of the students know Natalia Dominguez. She has been there for them every step of the way, conducting Student Success seminars, helping students answer interview and test questions, giving advice on appropriate Facebook content and LinkedIn profile improvements, and utilizing social media tools.\r\n\r\n“The biggest thing I do here is support students academically,” says Dominguez. “But, in addition to tools, I give a lot of emotional support. Sometimes students just need to talk, and one of my greatest strengths is to just listen.”\r\n\r\nNatalia also knows when to step in with appropriate and timely advice. It is not uncommon for a student – especially a female student – to become overwhelmed by a family that needs her at home. Maybe finances are thin or a job also pulls at her tenuous grip on completing education goals.\r\n\r\n“I tell them ‘You’re almost done; you can’t stop now,’” says Natalia. “When I put it in terms of weeks, they see how close they are and say, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re right,’” she says.\r\n\r\nHer approach to student support is widely recognized and appreciated. “Ms. Dominguez is so generous with her time to the students and how she tries to help them succeed,” says Michael Martinez who is about to graduate from the Therapeutic Massage program. She supports her students “from providing brunch on Fridays to hosting seminars for the students to gain knowledge in different, beneficial areas to succeed, not only in the classroom, but in the job market, as well, says Michael.”\r\n\r\nNatalia came from a long line of educators. Her grandparents, Tom and Marguerite Lewis, were elementary school teachers, then principals during their esteemed careers. All the while, Natalia was sitting at their knees absorbing their excitement and love for touching the minds and lives of others.\r\n\r\n“I would get all my stuffed animals and start a class,” she remembers. “I always knew I wanted to do something in education.”\r\n\r\nNatalia feels that her position in the Student Center is a perfect fit, and that working with adults is the most rewarding.\r\n\r\n“Kids go to school because that’s their job, but adults are in school because they are striving to accomplish something,” she says. “Being their support has always been my goal.”\r\n\r\nThat is not to say that it is all serious, all the time. Natalia engages her students on many levels. She was even game to learn a ‘secret handshake’ that Pharmacy Technology student, Lisandro Pacheco taught her. There is a nice balance of focus and fun when you are around her.\r\n\r\nAlthough Natalia clearly inspires students in her charge, she is quick to admit their positive influence on her as well. In fact, because of the efforts and courage she witnesses every day from her students, she revitalized her own educational path by enrolling in a Masters Degree program in 2012.\r\n\r\n“Why aren’t I in school,” she had to ask herself. “If they can do it, I have no excuse.” Natalia hopes to complete her Masters in Library and Information Science in June, 2015.\r\n\r\nThe culmination of this, her ‘first grown-up job’, comes full-circle with each SJVC graduation. And, if you watch closely you may catch a quick ‘secret handshake’ passing between her and one of her graduates, as he exits the stage.\r\n\r\nNatalia is still a little surprised to find that she gets to touch so many lives. “I never thought I’d be part of helping people determine whether this (enrolling at SJVC) is right for them,” she says. “But, I make breakfast every Friday; why would you not want to come here!”\r\n\r\nFood for mind, body and spirit are in abundant supply.', 'Graduation ceremony completes the cycle for staffer', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'graduation-ceremony-completes-the-cycle-for-staffer', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:13:01', '2014-10-02 18:13:01', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/graduation-ceremony-completes-the-cycle-for-staffer', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12484, 14, '2014-02-11 10:00:00', '2014-02-11 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2199" align="alignleft" width="224"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2199" title="John Hall" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/john-hall-224x300.jpg" alt="John Hall" width="224" height="300" /> This new addition to the Temecula team set out to revitalize the ASB and get more students involved.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAt the <a title="SJVC Temecula" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/temecula/" target="_blank">Temecula</a> campus, the Associated Student Body used to be relatively quiet. Not too many students were involved, and the club''s activities were few. Though the relatively short time span from admission to graduation is a great benefit to students, it also undermined extracurricular organizations, like ASB. The club’s membership was constantly fluctuating, because it was only a matter of months before old students would graduate and a new class would take their place.\r\n\r\nRecent hire John Hall aimed to change that. Both a recent college graduate and a veteran of high school admissions, the man had extensive experience working with students.\r\n\r\nHaving finished school recently, John is one of the younger employees of SJVC. He went to college at California State University San Marcos for History, before pursuing a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at CSU San Diego.\r\n\r\nWhen John arrived at SJVC, he had plenty of experience in education. While his official job was a general education instructor, he offered to be the activities commissioner for ASB, a job that would come out of his own time.\r\n\r\n“Student activity has blossomed under his leadership,” says Robyn Whiles, Temecula Campus Director.\r\n\r\nIt was under John that ASB began running a student store. The store is run by Temecula <a title="Business Administration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/" target="_blank">Business Administration</a> students, providing a good place for the students to test their skills. At its beginning, the student store was just a table. They would unfold it, display the merchandise, and put it away each day, using the college mailroom as a temporary venue. This nomadic business model is finally coming to an end, as the campus is planning to provide a permanent storefront for ASB to sell its products.\r\n\r\nThe money earned from selling merchandise is used first to maintain stock. The profits beyond that serve to assist charitable work, sometimes for needy SJVC students and their families.\r\n\r\n“Our main goal is to help students,” says John.\r\n\r\nJohn made and continues to make a significant push for more community service work on the part of ASB. For Thanksgiving, the efforts of ASB provided ten Temecula students grocery cards to buy traditional holiday meals. For the Christmas season, a dress down day helped fund those in hard times.\r\n\r\nThere have also been fundraisers for breast cancer awareness, suicide prevention, and autism awareness. ASB students also assisted the local food pantry. Bake sales are not unheard of, and events tying in with weekly football games can provide a fun way to relax between all the hard schoolwork and assignments.\r\n\r\nAs for his personality, he is described as “a well-balanced young man.”\r\n\r\n“He helps student and provides them a great role model, “says Robyn.\r\n\r\nConsidering he meets with students every day, John has built a rapport with the student body.\r\n\r\n“It has been amazing and fun to watch this campus grow,” says John. “I only want to see more students get involved.”\r\n\r\n“He’s really made the commitment to our students,” says Robyn, referring to all the work he does after hours, on his own time.\r\n\r\nJohn might be new, but his work is clearly felt.', 'Young addition shakes up Temecula Campus', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'young-addition-shakes-up-temecula-campus', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/', '2014-10-02 11:13:17', '2014-10-02 18:13:17', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/young-addition-shakes-up-temecula-campus', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(12485, 17, '2014-01-30 11:00:00', '2014-01-30 19:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2168" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2168" title="Seventh Grade" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/rt6b-300x169.jpg" alt="Seventh Grade" width="300" height="169" /> Two SJVC students spent a day at a middle school teaching the basics of Respiratory Therapy to curious youngsters.[/caption]\r\n\r\nEven though Holly Van Brocklin and Matt Harbawi will not graduate from their <a title="SJVC Rancho Cordova" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/rancho-cordova/" target="_blank">Rancho Cordova</a> Respiratory Therapy program for another nine months, they know enough to captivate 150 seventh graders eager to learn about the inner workings of the body’s respiratory system.\r\n\r\nHolly and Matt spent a full day in early January at Folsom Middle School introducing five consecutive classes of teacher, Kendra Duncan’s science students, to various medical tools, equipment and treatment of respiratory illness and disease. The two SJVC <a title="Respiratory Therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/" target="_blank">RT</a> students set up lab stations to get the pre-teens up and out of their seats and engaged in the demonstrations.\r\n\r\nHolly and Matt used a PowerPoint presentation and display models to educated students about illnesses, such as asthma, pneumonia and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), as well as their medical therapies and interventions.\r\n\r\nOne station displayed various oxygen masks they might encounter in hospitals, another station showcased personal protection equipment worn when a therapist enters the room of someone in isolation due to infectious airborne disease, and a third displayed a lung model with removable components.\r\n\r\n“What was fascinating was that they all seemed very, very interested in it and had really good questions,” says Holly Van Brocklin, whose daughter, Thea, was one of the students. “Most students either had asthma or had a family member who had asthma.”\r\n\r\nHolly is the one who got the day-long event going. “The main reason I wanted to do this was to educate the kids about the importance of treating respiratory diseases and how to properly use their medication devices,” she says. “I wanted to show them, ‘Here’s what happens to your lungs if you smoke’, so that they take better care of themselves in terms of making healthy choices.”\r\n\r\nSJVC instructors encourage students to take on these kinds of community service projects and to take full advantage of opportunities to educate the public in their areas of specialty.\r\n\r\n“Matt and Holly are both wonderful students,” says Amy Bianco, Dean of Student Services. “They are very passionate about the RT program and eager to share their knowledge with the community.”\r\n\r\nHolly was invited back to Ms. Duncan’s afternoon classes the next day to help students build lung models. Balloons, straws and cups were used to simulate lungs “where we demonstrated how negative pressure works and how the lungs inflate,” says Holly. “It was great seeing how excited the kids were when they pulled down on the balloon ‘diaphragm’ and the lungs inflated.”\r\n\r\nBoth Holly and Matt are several weeks into their externships and are excited to be working in the real-world of respiratory therapy.  They both, however, still make time to inspire health consciousness within the hearts and minds of the next generation.', 'Respiratory Therapy students enthrall seventh grade classes', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'respiratory-therapy-students-enthrall-seventh-grade-classes', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:14:45', '2014-10-02 18:14:45', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy-students-enthrall-seventh-grade-classes', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12486, 17, '2014-02-06 10:00:00', '2014-02-06 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2175" align="alignleft" width="285"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2175" title="Elvira Martinez" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/elvira-285x300.jpg" alt="Elvira Martinez" width="285" height="300" /> Getting back on your feet after tragedy is difficult, but Elvira Martinez knew she could not stay where she was forever, resolving to go back to school.[/caption]\r\n\r\nThree years ago Elvira Martinez and Jose Contreras experienced the greatest pain parents can endure with the loss of their two-day old son Jose. Elvira could have curled up and let the world pass by unnoticed. Instead she found the inner resolve to try to replace her grief with something constructive, something that would honor a changed future.\r\n\r\n“He is not here for a reason, so I have to do something that would serve our family,” says Elvira. “I’m going to be the best for him.”  Baby J, as they called him, was her inspiration to go back to school. She enrolled in the <a title="SJVC Bakersfield" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/bakersfield/" target="_blank">Bakersfield</a> campus Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting program.\r\n\r\nMaybe she pushed herself too soon, maybe at 32 she had been away from a classroom too long, or the leap from commercial bus driver to student just too confusing. Elvira crashed at the end of the first week.\r\n\r\n“I was overwhelmed and had a breakdown,” says Elvira. “It was Mrs. Kimber (instructor) that helped me work through it. She told me she understood, that she had been where I was sitting and knew how I felt.”\r\n\r\nElvira not only recommitted herself to her <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">CAMA</a> program, she later volunteered to talk with students at orientation and would-be students during career workshops. She conducted tours of the campus and explained to future students what they should expect as a student at SJVC. She found her own confidence…and her voice.\r\n\r\n“I was always the person people came to – even ones who were in school before me,” says Elvira. When our teachers asked who was going to be our spokesperson for something, they would say ‘Elvira will.’”\r\n\r\nElvira thrived in her role as a student, mentor and leader. She was president of CAMA Code Blue, ASB member and volunteered at a tattoo removal clinic. She managed to earn a 4.0 GPA and a Perfect Attendance certificate. But, this kind of determination to meet her ideal of “being the best of the best”, came at a price.\r\n\r\nShe and Jose struggled to get by financially, while trying to provide for five children at home. Jose’s night job was the only income they had while Elvira was in school, and the kids had the constant needs all kids have.\r\n\r\n“We’re team players,” says Elvira. “Jose was ‘mom and dad’ for 14-months and when he worked my mom, Alicia, stepped in and she was ‘mom and dad’. “They did everything for me.”\r\n\r\nThe hardest moment she had was just before Christmas. Elvira’s throat catches as she remembers sitting the kids down and telling them they couldn’t afford to get them anything for Christmas.\r\n\r\nWhen Mrs. Votaw in the Student Center heard about it, she and others encouraged Elvira to participate in the ‘Angel Tree’ gift-giving program for children of students in need. Elvira pinned a star on the tree for each of her children, listing their age, sex and clothing size, and campus ‘angels’ each selected a name or two to surprise all the children with something special to put under their trees.\r\n\r\n“The only gifts my kids got that year were from the school,” says Elvira, who was so touched by their generosity. “They didn’t just care about me as a student, they cared about me as a mother.”\r\n\r\nThat spirit of generosity infused Elvira’s commitment to finish her program. “When I was tired and didn’t want to go to class, or didn’t want to study, I’d tell myself that I had to keep going. That Christmas is what I’d reflect on; that Angel Tree.”\r\n\r\nElvira made it her business to work closely with Career Services. “Career Services was going to find me the job,” she says, “and Mrs. Baine (in Career Services) sent me lots of leads.”\r\n\r\nOne was for a Medical Assisting position at Aegis, a drug addiction treatment facility. “Because it’s substance abuse – and the worst of the worst – it’s an environment that’s not for everybody,” says Elvira.\r\n\r\nThey saw her leadership ability and tremendous strength. “I’m pretty stern – I have five children – and they saw that I fit right in,” says Elvira. After an hour-long interview, they hired her on the spot.\r\n\r\nSince starting her new position Elvira has taken and passed her Registered Medical Assisting certification and is now considered a permanent and full-time employee. Her 5:00 AM to 1:30 PM work schedule allows her to have lots of time with the kids, and the additional income her family enjoys makes all the sacrifices they made worth it.\r\n\r\n“I’m where I want to be right now,” says Elvira. But, her great SJVC experience and her innate love for school linger in her mind, and she tells herself that she “could learn a little more, get paid a little more.” “You always strive to be bigger and better!”', 'CAMA student draws strength from tragedy', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'cama-student-draws-strength-from-tragedy', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:13:51', '2014-10-02 18:13:51', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/cama-student-draws-strength-from-tragedy', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12487, 14, '2014-02-03 12:00:00', '2014-02-03 20:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2179" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2179" title="Fresno Community Health Fair" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/photo-copy-300x197.jpg" alt="Fresno Community Health Fair" width="300" height="197" /> AMT Club members Brianda Enriquex, Yokie Curiel, Samira Saleh, Mark Marin, Yvett Reyes and CaSSAMT President Sheryl Rounsivill volunteering at the Fresno Community Health Fair.[/caption]\r\n\r\nSan Joaquin Valley College may be a California-based school, but SJVC’s influence extends further than state borders.\r\n\r\nAmerican Medical Technologists (AMT) is a non-profit certification agency that assists physicians in attaining certification in their specialty. Across the nation, it has affiliated State organizations.\r\n\r\nThe California State Society of American Medical Technologists (CaSSAMT) publishes a semi-annual newsletter, updating medical professions on recent legislative developments and relevant scientific breakthroughs. A quick glance at this publication reveals an interesting trend: a considerable presence of SJVC staff and students within the organization. The publication is released on behalf of the state society but is compiled by CaSSAMT Vice President and current <a title="SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu" target="_blank">SJVC</a> Fresno CAMA instructor Nicole Weiss.\r\n\r\n“The newsletter has won many awards at the national level in the past and we hope that it wins again this year,” says Alaine Johnson, Health Studies Division Manager for SJVC Modesto and CaSSAMT Secretary.\r\n\r\nHowever, SJVC is represented in more than just the organization’s publications.\r\n\r\n“We have at least four SJVC instructors who are board members,” says Nicole Weiss. “Because SJVC employees are running the State Society, it gives our students more insight and helps further their careers in medical assisting.\r\n\r\nCaSSAMT’s Board of Directors includes eleven current or past SJVC staff, faculty, or graduates, four of whom serve as officers: President Sheryl Rounsivill, Vice President Nicole Weiss, Secretary Alaine Johnson, and Treasurer Jeanine Hobson.\r\n\r\nSJVC’s affiliation with AMT creates opportunity for considerable influence: the yearly Education Program &amp; National Meeting invites at state board members to attend seminars and committee meetings, vote by-law amendments and elect national AMT board members.\r\n\r\n“This is a privilege that I have had over the past 4 years along with other instructors from SJVC,” says Johnson.\r\n\r\nThis last year, the California State Society’s delegates started the “College Bowl”, an inter-college competition that brought local career college students together to challenge each other’s expertise. As a testament to its success, this competition will be retained for this year’s convention.\r\n\r\nCaSSAMT is also active locally. At three SJVC campuses, student organizations affiliated with the State Society help students “get their foot in the door” so that they may become a member of AMT once certified. In <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a>, <a title="SJVC Fresno" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/" target="_blank">Fresno</a>, and <a title="SJVC Bakersfield" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/bakersfield/" target="_blank">Bakersfield</a>, medical students can get a head start in their career fields, even before certification.\r\n\r\n“It looks really good on a resume,” says Weiss. “Because the faculty don’t run the clubs, students do.”\r\n\r\nThe resume boost also comes from the CaSSAMT-required volunteer work. AMT students donate their time and effort to local causes, from serving at the local food kitchen, collecting clothes for the homeless, or simply raising money for donations on behalf of various causes.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, the clubs also arrange for booths at local events, to spread health information and garner interest in the field. AMT also provides further educational opportunities for the credentialed professional, legal advice, and assistance in job placement.\r\n\r\n“It is the goal of SJVC to prepare the most professional students possible,” says Weiss. “Membership in the state society simply enhances those skills.”', 'National Certification Agency provides many opportunities for medical students', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'national-certification-agency-provides-many-opportunities-for-medical-students', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/', '2014-10-02 11:14:27', '2014-10-02 18:14:27', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/national-certification-agency-provides-many-opportunities-for-medical-students', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12488, 17, '2014-02-10 10:00:00', '2014-02-10 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2201" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2201" title="Jessica Pinedo" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/photo3_border-300x172.jpg" alt="Jessica Pinedo" width="300" height="172" /> The California Society for Respiratory Care had better watch out. This SJVC student is running for President in the region.[/caption]\r\n\r\nRespiratory Therapy program student Jessica Pinedo is breaking new ground as the first student ever to run for president of California Society for Respiratory Care (CSRC) San Diego/Inland Empire Region. The <a title="SJVC Ontario" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/" target="_blank">Ontario</a> campus’s RT student, who is due to graduate in May, was beyond excited after hearing that her application to pursue the office was approved by the Board of Directors.\r\n\r\nJessica’s run makes it the first time a student has taken aim at CSRC’s highest regional office. That spot is usually filled by an experienced Respiratory Therapist with a good deal of patient contact. Jessica is undaunted by the implied gap.\r\n\r\n“I have great leadership and organizational skills, so I know I could do a really great job, bring these positive things to the field, and show that I’m on fire for Respiratory Care,” says Jessica. “And, the support I am receiving here on campus is phenomenal.”\r\n\r\nThat fire was easily noticed by <a title="Respiratory Therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/" target="_blank">RT</a> instructor, Russ McCord, who currently holds the CSRC’s Vice President’s spot and was the one to suggest to Jessica that she submit her application for the position. With her enthusiastic acceptance, Mr. McCord put her nomination forward for review.\r\n\r\nBecause Jessica’s application was light on direct patient care, she brought all of her considerable accomplishments and talents to the forefront in order to demonstrate her viability for office.\r\n\r\nShe has hovered at a 4.0 GPA throughout her program, made both the Dean’s and Honor’s Lists, maintained memberships in the Lion’s Club, volunteered for the Cystic Fibrosis’ <i>Great Strides Walk</i>, American Lung Association’s <i>Fight for Air</i>, received the 2013 Academic Excellence Scholarship from the CSRC and is prepared to host the <i>Drive 4 COPD</i> in March.\r\n\r\nJessica is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, is President of Lambda Beta SJVC Ontario Chapter, volunteered for the American Association for Respiratory Care talent membership, was on the CSRC program committee and was an assistant for their Government Affairs.\r\n\r\n“I highly recommended Jessica because of her passion for Respiratory Care and the spirited, youthful energy she will bring to our region,” he says. Russ plans to cast his vote for Jessica as soon as the online voting begins.\r\n\r\nAlthough both RT students and RT professionals can be members of this statewide organization, only respiratory care professionals are allowed to vote. The results are announced in May and newly elected officials take office in August for a two-year term.\r\n\r\nShould she win the Presidency, Jessica is looking forward its myriad responsibilities, such as conducting meetings several times a year, organizing educational and social events, initiating campaigns to increase membership, creating a grass-roots coalition that will advocate better patient care, and providing information and education to elevate the respiratory care profession.\r\n\r\n“I have so many ideas and plans,” says Jessica. “I can do this job and I hope I am given the opportunity to do this.”\r\n\r\nShe is just starting to roll out her campaign and plans to cast the net wide for supporters.\r\n\r\n“We have built a Facebook group, so I’m hoping to network and reach out to a lot of RTs in our region, a lot of the clinical sites that I’ve been to and professionals I’ve met there,” she says. “I will also solicit support from RT instructors, our Director and SJVC RT alumni.”\r\n\r\nSJVC is proud that one of our students has pointed her ambition toward the height of her profession, and we wish her great success in her run for the top.', 'Jessica Pinedo for President!', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'jessica-pinedo-for-president', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/', '2014-10-02 11:13:35', '2014-10-02 18:13:35', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/jessica-pinedo-for-president', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12489, 17, '2014-02-24 10:00:00', '2014-02-24 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2207" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2207" title="Mario Lemus" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/mario-300x200.jpg" alt="Mario Lemus" width="300" height="200" /> From left to right: Jeff Rubio, fellow PA student, Monica Urmson, Assistant to PA Director, and Mario Lemus[/caption]\r\n\r\nFive and a half years in the Marine Corps, working as an F-18 jet mechanic, gave Mario Lemus the framework he needed to be a dedicated student. He brought disciplined study habits learned from many military courses, leadership from supervisory positions and the wisdom that comes from adapting to military life and personal circumstances and challenges.\r\n\r\n“My military background gave me an advantage,” says Mario. “When I presented myself to the <a title="Physician Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/physician-assistant/" target="_blank">PA</a> program I knew what was expected of me and what I could expect of myself. I felt right at home.”\r\n\r\nBut, Mario’s real preparation for a career helping others began many years earlier when, at nine years old, he started to work alongside his parents and older siblings in the fields, migrating from state-to-state as various crops were ready for harvest. He attended many schools and struggled to learn English. His parents made attending school regularly a high priority.\r\n\r\n“Anyone going through a harsh position in life gets to appreciate a different perspective,” says Mario. “I was conscious of my social, economic status and knew I would have to further develop myself academically to reach my potential.”\r\n\r\nOne of the most important things Mario took away from a childhood filled with both struggle and strong family ties, is an enormous empathy for others. It is what drew him to the military and their code of ‘Honor, Courage and Commitment’.\r\n\r\n“In the military I saw a lot of individuals who have this character,” says Mario. “What they do is take care of our nation, take care of our families; they are in the business of helping other people.”\r\n\r\nMario’s need for a career that allows him to demonstrate this devotion to the care of others was inspired by his older brother Rafael, who is a general surgeon and his sister Guadalupe, a nurse practitioner.\r\n\r\n“We all kind of assessed my skill set, my desire to be involved in the community and my knack for guiding individuals to a better path. We felt the PA path would be a good profession for me.”\r\n\r\nMario was surprised to find so many military veterans in the classroom and among faculty. It was reassuring to him. “When I saw so many veterans were part of the program, I decided I was going to be in this program, no matter what it took,” he said.\r\n\r\nIn August, 2012 Mario, his wife Roxana and their daughters Liliana, age four, and Jasmine, age two, set out to see his vision come true.\r\n\r\nBut weeks into the PA program Mario was struggling.\r\n\r\n“I suffer academically; that’s the truth of the matter,” he says. “I have a learning deficit and it’s always something I’ve struggled with.” Mario’s solution is to dig in deeper.\r\n\r\n“Mario is the first student here and the last to leave every day,” says Jed Grant, PA Program Director. “He has dedicated his life to serving those around him and it shows in all he says and does.”\r\n\r\n“I see other classmates and everybody is trying their hardest,” says Mario. “I don’t feel I’m special, but I do feel I’m surrounded by special people.”\r\n\r\nMario cannot go any further without singling out two of those who have helped him the most. At SJVC it is fellow student and Vietnam veteran, Jeff Rubio and Monica Urmson, Assistant to PA Program Director.\r\n\r\n“Me and Jeff are both considered the ‘rocks’ of our families and we just ended up finding each other,” says Mario. “He has so many character traits I respect…determination, drive. He is a close friend who inspires and motivates me and is a huge part of my experience here,” he says, his throat catching.\r\n\r\nMario is also grateful to Monica for all the support she has given him during his academic low points.\r\n\r\n“Monica is my guiding light through a lot of this,” he says. “When you’re not performing academically, you wonder if you belong in this profession. She pushed me and believed in me a lot of times when I questioned myself.”\r\n\r\nMario also wants to mention his PA instructor, Aundrey Sidoreinko, who “gave me direction in which I could focus and aim my efforts.”\r\n\r\nBut, no one was as steadfast as his support team at home. Roxana, a middle school teacher, made sure that Mario felt the full force of her confidence in him.\r\n\r\n“I stand here because she supports me spiritually, emotionally, financially,” says Mario who graduates in August.\r\n\r\nNo matter how difficult it gets, Mario does not lose sight of the goal.\r\n\r\n“I am a mirror of values, character, leadership and so many other qualities of people who have made an impact on me,” says Mario. “I emulate these qualities out of respect for them and only want to know that what I do in my life is reflected in the people I have helped.”', 'The U.S. Marine Corps clears a path for Physician Assistant student', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'the-u-s-marine-corps-clears-a-path-for-physician-assistant-student', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:12:44', '2014-10-02 18:12:44', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/the-u-s-marine-corps-clears-a-path-for-physician-assistant-student', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12490, 17, '2014-02-25 10:00:00', '2014-02-25 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2187" align="alignleft" width="206"]<img class="size-full wp-image-2187" title="Kristina Perkins" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/547266_10202093565205708_1265993759_n.jpg" alt="Kristina Perkins" width="206" height="280" /> From Montana to California, from family practice to teaching, Kristina has gone far.[/caption]\r\n\r\nKristina Perkins had never given much thought to a teaching career. She was working as a Medical Assistant for a family practice office when the opportunity to teach an evening medical class came her way.\r\n\r\n“Teaching was never something I planned for, but I loved it,” says Mrs. Perkins. “It just felt like one of those meant-to-be’s.”\r\n\r\nAfter her family’s move to Billings, Montana where there were no medical teaching jobs immediately available, she contented herself with successful work in an orthopedic surgeon’s office. But she felt something was missing. A return to California gave her the chance to reconnect with the career that is her heart’s desire.\r\n\r\nKristina went to work for a local career college and reveled in the return of her true profession. She spent almost five years trying to give her students the best chance at a successful career opportunity in an environment that did not give her the support she needed to help make that happen.\r\n\r\n“They were more about numbers and just keeping students,” says Perkins. “I left there questioning whether or not I was done with teaching.”\r\n\r\nA student called to tell Kristina how much she missed her, and Kristina ended up admitting that she may not teach anymore. The student surprised her with an emotional plea.\r\n\r\n“She told me, ‘You have to teach; you were so important to me,’” says Kristina, who was moved by her declaration. “I knew I had to find a school that was more focused on student achievement.”\r\n\r\nKristina stumbled upon a part-time teaching position at SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Modesto" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/" target="_blank">Modesto</a> campus. Within six months she was working full-time in the <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting</a> program and feeling right at home.\r\n\r\n“Here it’s more student and faculty oriented,” she explains. “We do things throughout the year for students. Student Appreciation Day, all the student clubs; we give them a real college experience instead of that get-them-in-get-them-out sort of thing.”\r\n\r\n“Kristina has tirelessly served the Modesto campus in many capacities: instructor, Assessment Coordinator and AMT Advisor,” says Alyssa Bahr Casillas, Dean of Student Services. “She and a hard-working group of students raised over $3,000 for the March of Dimes.”\r\n\r\nThe March of Dimes’ <i>March for Babies Walk </i>in 2013 was a huge success for the campus. Kristina Perkins led the SJVC team with just a handful of student organizers. Their previous year’s efforts had raised $1,400, but they were determined to hit a new high. It was during the kickoff meeting that things got exciting.\r\n\r\nOne school pledged to raise $3,000 for the Walk, so naturally SJVC’s team declared their goal of $3,001.\r\n\r\n“We had dress-down days, bake sales and sold raffle tickets and t-shirts,” says Kristina. “Things snowballed and 50-60 students and their families participated in the Walk last April.”\r\n\r\nSJVC raised $3,500. Even better, over a dozen students are already lined up and ready to dedicate themselves to this year’s effort for March of Dimes.\r\n\r\nIt takes a lot of talent and professionalism to teach a diverse group of students, some right out of high school and some struggling with information overload after a long absence from the classroom.\r\n\r\n“I think every student is different, and one of my strengths is being able to identify with each one and see where they are coming from,” says Kristina. “It is challenging to balance what you are teaching to reach both those who can get if faster and those having a more difficult time.”\r\n\r\nIt all comes together for Kristina at graduation. It is not the grandeur of the event, the inspirational speakers or even the emotional walk across the stage that hits her hard. It is witnessing graduates’ total sense of achievement.\r\n\r\n“For me, it’s being able to see what they’ve accomplished after their externship, the end result; that’s when it’s real,” says Kristina. “When they know they have succeeded and they are so proud of that moment.”\r\n\r\nShe gets to share in a little of their pride. “I want something for what I give; not even big, just little things,” says Kristina. “I want to see their confidence grow; to feel they know that they don’t have to have all the answers, but that they can go out in their field and be successful. It’s the little changes I see that keep me coming back.”\r\n\r\nLittle changes maybe, but with a large impact on many lives.\r\n\r\nKristina is continuing her own education and is scheduled to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration early next year. Life is rewarding and feeling good for her, husband Jim, their daughter Breanna and their three dogs and two cats. As Kristina says, “It’s those little every day things that make such a difference and are so rewarding.”', 'CAMA instructor got a late start in education career', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'cama-instructor-got-a-late-start-in-education-career', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/', '2014-10-02 11:12:08', '2014-10-02 18:12:08', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/cama-instructor-got-a-late-start-in-education-career', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12952, 4, '2014-10-02 11:12:08', '2014-10-02 18:12:08', '[caption id="attachment_2187" align="alignleft" width="206"]<img class="size-full wp-image-2187" title="Kristina Perkins" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/547266_10202093565205708_1265993759_n.jpg" alt="Kristina Perkins" width="206" height="280" /> From Montana to California, from family practice to teaching, Kristina has gone far.[/caption]\r\n\r\nKristina Perkins had never given much thought to a teaching career. She was working as a Medical Assistant for a family practice office when the opportunity to teach an evening medical class came her way.\r\n\r\n“Teaching was never something I planned for, but I loved it,” says Mrs. Perkins. “It just felt like one of those meant-to-be’s.”\r\n\r\nAfter her family’s move to Billings, Montana where there were no medical teaching jobs immediately available, she contented herself with successful work in an orthopedic surgeon’s office. But she felt something was missing. A return to California gave her the chance to reconnect with the career that is her heart’s desire.\r\n\r\nKristina went to work for a local career college and reveled in the return of her true profession. She spent almost five years trying to give her students the best chance at a successful career opportunity in an environment that did not give her the support she needed to help make that happen.\r\n\r\n“They were more about numbers and just keeping students,” says Perkins. “I left there questioning whether or not I was done with teaching.”\r\n\r\nA student called to tell Kristina how much she missed her, and Kristina ended up admitting that she may not teach anymore. The student surprised her with an emotional plea.\r\n\r\n“She told me, ‘You have to teach; you were so important to me,’” says Kristina, who was moved by her declaration. “I knew I had to find a school that was more focused on student achievement.”\r\n\r\nKristina stumbled upon a part-time teaching position at SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Modesto" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/" target="_blank">Modesto</a> campus. Within six months she was working full-time in the <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting</a> program and feeling right at home.\r\n\r\n“Here it’s more student and faculty oriented,” she explains. “We do things throughout the year for students. Student Appreciation Day, all the student clubs; we give them a real college experience instead of that get-them-in-get-them-out sort of thing.”\r\n\r\n“Kristina has tirelessly served the Modesto campus in many capacities: instructor, Assessment Coordinator and AMT Advisor,” says Alyssa Bahr Casillas, Dean of Student Services. “She and a hard-working group of students raised over $3,000 for the March of Dimes.”\r\n\r\nThe March of Dimes’ <i>March for Babies Walk </i>in 2013 was a huge success for the campus. Kristina Perkins led the SJVC team with just a handful of student organizers. Their previous year’s efforts had raised $1,400, but they were determined to hit a new high. It was during the kickoff meeting that things got exciting.\r\n\r\nOne school pledged to raise $3,000 for the Walk, so naturally SJVC’s team declared their goal of $3,001.\r\n\r\n“We had dress-down days, bake sales and sold raffle tickets and t-shirts,” says Kristina. “Things snowballed and 50-60 students and their families participated in the Walk last April.”\r\n\r\nSJVC raised $3,500. Even better, over a dozen students are already lined up and ready to dedicate themselves to this year’s effort for March of Dimes.\r\n\r\nIt takes a lot of talent and professionalism to teach a diverse group of students, some right out of high school and some struggling with information overload after a long absence from the classroom.\r\n\r\n“I think every student is different, and one of my strengths is being able to identify with each one and see where they are coming from,” says Kristina. “It is challenging to balance what you are teaching to reach both those who can get if faster and those having a more difficult time.”\r\n\r\nIt all comes together for Kristina at graduation. It is not the grandeur of the event, the inspirational speakers or even the emotional walk across the stage that hits her hard. It is witnessing graduates’ total sense of achievement.\r\n\r\n“For me, it’s being able to see what they’ve accomplished after their externship, the end result; that’s when it’s real,” says Kristina. “When they know they have succeeded and they are so proud of that moment.”\r\n\r\nShe gets to share in a little of their pride. “I want something for what I give; not even big, just little things,” says Kristina. “I want to see their confidence grow; to feel they know that they don’t have to have all the answers, but that they can go out in their field and be successful. It’s the little changes I see that keep me coming back.”\r\n\r\nLittle changes maybe, but with a large impact on many lives.\r\n\r\nKristina is continuing her own education and is scheduled to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration early next year. Life is rewarding and feeling good for her, husband Jim, their daughter Breanna and their three dogs and two cats. As Kristina says, “It’s those little every day things that make such a difference and are so rewarding.”', 'CAMA instructor got a late start in education career', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', '12490-revision-v1', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:12:08', '2014-10-02 18:12:08', '', 12490, 'http://proof.sjvc.edu/12490-revision-v1', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(12491, 17, '2014-03-03 10:00:00', '2014-03-03 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2273" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2273" title="Jessica Pinedo" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/photo2-300x176.jpg" alt="Jessica Pinedo" width="300" height="176" /> For some, doubt can help calm overconfidence, but for others, like Jessica, the excessive humility flies in the face of her achievement.[/caption]\r\n\r\nEveryone around Jessica Pinedo sees her <a title="Respiratory Therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/" target="_blank">RT</a> program and leadership accomplishments and has no doubts about a bright career ahead for her. Everyone except Jessica.\r\n\r\nEven as the recognition and awards stack up, she is filled with self-doubt.\r\n\r\n“I hold myself to very high standards and beat myself up a lot,” she admits. “I consider myself failing more often than succeeding.”\r\n\r\nA recent B-grade in one of her classes and a missed day of school due to a family emergency dropped her 4.0 GPA to a 3.9. “It was really upsetting to me,” Jessica agonized.\r\n\r\nJessica takes little comfort in the facts of her program and educational accomplishments. She is a member of the campus Lions Club, contributed hours of volunteer work for Cystic Fibrosis, American Lung Association and events on behalf of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, while she holds onto a presence on the Dean’s List and Perfect Attendance list, as well as past recognition on the Honors List.\r\n\r\nMost recently Jessica’s nomination form was accepted by the California Society for Respiratory Care (CSRC) to clear the way for her campaign for President for her region of this statewide organization. Should she win that race, she will be the first student to do so.\r\n\r\n“I highly recommend Jessica (for President) because of her passion for Respiratory Care and her spirited, youthful energy she will bring our Region,” says Russell McCord, <a title="SJVC Ontario" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/" target="_blank">Ontario</a> RT instructor and current CSRC Vice President.\r\n\r\nMaybe Jessica does not feel the full measure of her abilities and accomplishments because her struggles have overcast their shine.\r\n\r\nJessica had her first son, Blake, when she was nineteen. A couple of years later, Connor made it a young family of three. The next dozen years were a whirl of gains and losses. Jessica found a career as a Pharmacy Technician, but felt the miss of direct involvement with patients. She lost her 55-year old mom, Debra, who as a nurse was Jessica’s inspiration to work in the medical field.\r\n\r\n“My mom was a fabulous nurse who had a passion for patients,” says Jessica. “When I was little, she took me to work with her and always treated me like someone who could handle information about what her patients were struggling with.”\r\n\r\nDebra was also at Jessica’s side throughout the natural birth of her first son. “She was my # 1 coach and walked me through every aspect of the process,” says Jessica. “There’s nothing like having your mother there every step of the way.”\r\n\r\nDebra had been gone almost two years when Jessica enrolled in SJVC’s Respiratory Therapy program. She realized that she was going to need lots of support to make it through the 20-month commitment. Jessica’s boyfriend, Joseph, and her two sons pitched in to cover, as well as they could, the many responsibilities at home.\r\n\r\n“My boys are super excited and supportive,” says Jessica. “They clean up their own messes and do their own laundry,” she says. “But, they remind me, ‘Mom, we can’t wait for you to get a job.’”\r\n\r\nThe hardest time came when Joseph had to take a job in Montana. During the year he was gone their support team expanded even deeper into family ties, which include Blake’s grandmother, Sherri, Joseph’s mother, Cindy, and Jessica’s grandmother and aunt who both live a distance away, but provide lots of loving, emotional support. The person doing much of the heavy lifting was Jessica’s dad, Jesse, for whom she was named.\r\n\r\n“I’ve had so much support from my dad, who often takes the kids to school and picks them up,” says Jessica. “Without Dad, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. The older I’ve gotten, the closer we’ve gotten.\r\n\r\nJoseph is working close to home now, and his emotional and financial help is critical to Jessica’s success as a student. Originally, he and Jessica were enrolling in the RT program together, but when Joseph was in the final stages of enrollment he had to follow his job out of state.\r\n\r\n“He’s been paying a lot of the bills and he’s been emotionally supportive through my exams and melt-down days,” says Jessica, who is often a bit overwhelmed.  “But, we have no time to go anywhere or do anything while I’m in my clinicals.”\r\n\r\nDue to graduate in May, Jessica is knee-deep in clinical rotations – and loving it. She is getting to sample various medical environments and enjoying the opportunity to make a positive impression on a possible future employer.\r\n\r\n“I’m interested in a specialty acute care hospital, or a residency program that has a very intense learning environment and specialty training in pediatrics and ICU,” says Jessica, who wants to eventually get her Bachelor’s degree.\r\n\r\nFew doubt that Jessica can capture any one of these outstanding medical opportunities. Except Jessica, who teeters on the edge of self-assurance.\r\n\r\n“My confidence level in general is not so high,” she says. “I come off as a confident individual, but deep down inside…,” she trails off in her self-doubt.\r\n\r\nThose who surround her and witness her daily strength and determination will steadfastly keep the faith for Jessica’s abilities and dreams until she can claim them for herself.', 'A bright future lies ahead for RT student, even if she can’t see it', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'respiratory-therapy-student-doesnt-see-success', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/', '2014-10-02 11:11:38', '2014-10-02 18:11:38', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy-student-doesnt-see-success', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12492, 17, '2014-02-24 10:00:00', '2014-02-24 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2235" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2235" title="Graduation" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/WP_20140131_18_02_30_Pro-Fuse-300x169.jpg" alt="Graduation" width="300" height="169" /> For the first time in its history, Temecula''s graduating class featured HVAC-R students, graduates of a program meant to stay on the campus.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAmong January’s graduating class of 126 students, 8 held the distinction of being the first <a title="Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/heating-ventilation-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration/" target="_blank">Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration</a> program graduates to walk across the stage to claim their degrees.\r\n\r\n<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The 88-graduates who participated in the ceremony held at the Rancho Community Church, finalized their career training goals in front of 1,200 friends and families gathered to witness the ceremony and celebration of their education accomplishment.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">When the HVAC-R’s small class of eight students began their studies in this debut program in the fall of 2012, this moment was still a hazy vision in their mind’s eye.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">“The first day of class our group of guys looked at each other not knowing what to expect,” says Joseph Weaver, who was part of that original program and a Student Speaker at graduation. “But, standing there in cap and gown, we weren’t newbies anymore.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Joseph was excited to address the nearly-filled room and share his story of success, as well as his pride in helping “lay the groundwork for the HVAC-R students” to follow. Joseph, who started his new job with Gilmore Refrigeration the Monday after his program’s last class, felt his hard work paid off.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">“I found a place to land right after I finished the program,” says Joseph. “Before graduation we were standing in the hallway, talking with our teachers about our jobs and what we had learned that we were already using.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Most of his classmates worked full-time while they were in the program, and took special pride in their accomplishment.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">SJVC’s 14-month Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program is offered on several of the other campuses and was felt to be a perfect fit for the Temecula area.</span>\r\n\r\n“Our campus’s central location and climate make us ideal for guys wanting to get into this field and employers looking for technicians who can handle both commercial and residential systems and equipment,” says Anthony Melgares, HVAC-R instructor at the <a title="SJVC Temecula" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/temecula/" target="_blank">Temecula</a> campus. He emphasizes that this is a good business for females to get into, as well, as “the job doesn’t require lifting heavy equipment; that is done by equipment installers.”\r\n\r\nHVAC-R graduates left the graduation stage that night feeling the full confidence their A.S. degree and newly acquired skills and knowledge gave them.\r\n\r\n“The best part about it is they come out of it with a degree that puts them up for leadership and supervisory roles, and sets them up for advancement in this field,” says Melgares. “These students were very motivated; and they were very proud and deserved to be proud.”\r\n\r\n<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The HVAC-R program is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing on campus. Nearly 40 students are enrolled and working toward successful completion. Not surprisingly, many currently in the enrollment process were at that recent graduation ceremony and were inspired to strive for their own career in this field – and their moment on that stage.</span>', 'Temecula’s First HVAC-R class graduates', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'temeculas-first-hvac-r-class-graduates', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:12:27', '2014-10-02 18:12:27', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/temeculas-first-hvac-r-class-graduates', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(12493, 17, '2014-02-27 10:00:00', '2014-02-27 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2227" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2227" title="Steve Hauswirth" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/steve-300x239.jpg" alt="Steve Hauswirth" width="300" height="239" /> Graduate Steve Hauswirth and his family.[/caption]\r\n\r\nSteve Hauswirth enlisted in the Air Force when he was 21-years old and spent the next ten years advancing in levels of responsibility for medical units. His training, education and expertise grew with each assignment.\r\n\r\nSteve’s military assignments spanned medical technician and Independent Duty Medical Technician, to Jack-of-all-trades where he performed medical and dental exams, labs, water sampling/testing, food inspections; anything to do with the health and wellness of the unit.\r\n\r\n“Every day we had to inspect all the food and check the temperatures to make sure it was OK to eat,” says Steve. An outbreak of dysentery was not going to happen on his watch.\r\n\r\nSteve’s military career allowed him to go as far as he wanted in his medical training and responsibility. But, finally, what he wanted was to come home and serve the rural central San Joaquin Valley.\r\n\r\nSteve had met Krystal, his wife-to-be, who was also in the military. Now in the Sacramento area, Steve searched for a school that would allow him to use his veteran’s education benefits and earn Physician Assistant status.\r\n\r\nMany military veterans returning home after years of providing high level medical care in the service of their country are finding that there is no place for them to apply their skills in the states without attending an accredited training program and then qualifying for licensure.\r\n\r\nCurrent legislation and benefits, such as the <i>Returning Heroes Tax Credit</i>, American Jobs Act, GI Bill and grant awards to colleges and universities that train veterans for careers as Physician Assistants, are helping to solidify training and keep military medics in the field.\r\n\r\n“The VA gave me one year to get into a school or lose the money,” says Steve. He was not going to let his chance to make the most of his extensive medical experience slip away.\r\n\r\nHe heard about SJVC’s <a title="Physician Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/physician-assistant/" target="_blank">PA</a> program in <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> and made the trip to check it out.\r\n\r\n“I met with the faculty and a few students and learned quickly that there was a very strong military background among staff and faculty; it became my one and only choice,” says Steve, who had just finished 30 units of prerequisites in 14-months, while working 45-50 hours a week supervising an urgent care department.\r\n\r\nSteve dove in, leaving his military bride of just one week to start their life together….alone.\r\n\r\n“She has been there for me from the beginning,” says Steve. “Who gets married and then lets her husband go away, potentially for two years!”\r\n\r\n“The PA program was hard, and I was in the books all the time,” says Steve. “I wasn’t expecting was the amount of community service and outreach we did, which included working with the Veteran’s Caucus of the American Academy of Physician Assistants – in which I was the founding president of the student group at SJVC.”\r\n\r\n“It wasn’t until our White Coat ceremony that it finally hit me,” says Steve. “That was probably my proudest moment; when it all felt real to me.”\r\n\r\nThen, it was over. And, even before his graduation ceremony, Steve had been offered a Physician Assistant position with Adventist Health. He loves what he is doing in primary care and making an immediate difference with someone’s medical concern or injury.\r\n\r\nIn his youth, Steve and his single mom and two siblings had also struggled, depending at one time on welfare and food stamps.\r\n\r\n“We pulled together, while my mom went to trade school and got her A.S. degree in Secretarial Studies,” says Steve. “I want my life’s work to serve that community we came from.”\r\n\r\nSteve is motivated by the need to take good care of his family. Although his 15-year old daughter, Micah, lives out of state, he wants to make sure that she has the opportunities he never had. Steve is also very proud of Krystal, who works in the IT department at Fresno’s VA Hospital.\r\n\r\n“In addition to supporting me when I was in school, Krystal was finishing her Bachelor’s degree,” he says. “Now she has a Masters in Business and intends to get into hospital administration.”\r\n\r\nThey are a family of strong determination and realized dreams. But, there is another vision taking shape.\r\n\r\n“We just found out we are going to have a baby,” Steve shares confidentially. The quest continues.', 'Physician Assistant program is a natural for this veteran', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'physician-assistant-program-is-a-natural-for-this-veteran', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:11:53', '2014-10-02 18:11:53', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/physician-assistant-program-is-a-natural-for-this-veteran', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12494, 17, '2014-03-10 10:00:00', '2014-03-10 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2233" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2233" title="Lathan Murdock" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/lathan-300x225.jpg" alt="Lathan Murdock" width="300" height="225" /> After his own construction business back in Texas had fallen on hard times, Lathan needed to make a change.[/caption]\r\n\r\nLathan Murdock had his own construction business in Texas for eight years, but things were not working out the way he had hoped. He knew he had to make his move pretty soon to get out of the hole that kept getting deeper for him, his wife Cherie, and their four children, ages 3 to 10 years old. They were barely holding on.\r\n\r\n“I’d been jobless for brief periods, homeless, we’d moved twice and had to home-school the kids,” says Lathan. “But my job was to not give up.”\r\n\r\nAt 36 years old, Lathan had not been in school for a pretty long time, but he knew that education held the greatest hope for change in their lives. In July he found a <a title="Construction Management program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/construction-management/" target="_blank">Construction Management</a> program on SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> division and “the price, duration and the way it was set up – it was a no-brainer for me,” he says.\r\n\r\n“I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” says Lathan. “I needed to do something to improve myself, something I would admire someone else for doing, and improving my own character, my own goals, my own life.”\r\n\r\nLathan was not at all certain he would do well in an academic environment, especially in courses in which he did not have a particular interest. Could he push himself hard enough to make the grade?\r\n\r\n“I’m a sit back kind of guy; it’s not really in my nature to be determined,” he says. “But once I make a decision I stick with it.” Lathan enrolled…and hit the ground running.\r\n\r\nThings got worse before they got better. Finding himself out of work again, their family had to rely on help from others.\r\n\r\n“I wasn’t able to take care of my family, I am ashamed to say,” remembers Lathan. “We lived with family or friends for a while; people just took us in, which was nice.”\r\n\r\nUnder these stressful circumstances, no one was more surprised than Lathan to find himself on the Dean’s List and hitting and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He found lots of support from Online instructors and the Career Services department. Then, when a Construction Foreman position in Massachusetts opened up, Bryan Campbell in Career Services coached Lathan through the interview process, well before the intended time for students who are about to graduate.\r\n\r\n“Bryan was by me every step of the way,” says Lathan. “He supported me through my decision to take a new position in how to negotiate, refine my resume, and mock interviews. I don’t think I’d have this job without him.”\r\n\r\nOne of the greatest surprises about his online program was Lathan’s budding friendships with so many staff and faculty. “I didn’t expect to get to know these people as well as I did,” he says. Their admiration and respect grew for Lathan, as well.\r\n\r\n“Along with being liked and respected by fellow classmates, Lathan is an excellent and very inquisitive student who enjoys learning from both his peers and instructors,” says Michael McGuire, instructor. “While he continues his current success in the construction industry, he is developing the skills, knowledge and abilities to achieve his full potential.”\r\n\r\nThings are finally starting to stabilize for Lathan and his family. He has a full-time, steady job, the kids are in school, and “It’s nice to be normal for a while,” says Lathan.\r\n\r\nLathan admits that experiencing this kind of difficulty as a family has brought them closer together.\r\n\r\n“We’ve learned a lot about one another, this last year and a half, that’s for sure,” says Lathan. “We’ve been through hell, to tell you the truth. But, my wife has always been supportive and wants me to do what I want to do, and the kids are troupers.”\r\n\r\nLathan graduated in January knowing that he would get to take a full breath, finally. He will not pause for long, however and intends to, at some point, push for his Bachelors…maybe even his Masters degree. His success at SJVC has ignited his confidence, as well as his ambition. It has also reaffirmed his feeling about where it all begins and ends.\r\n\r\n“I’m a very spiritual man and I look to God for my ultimate inspiration and success,” he says. “I know He wants better for me…to be the best I can be. So that’s been the biggest strength; knowing there’s something more than me out there. That’s what really helps.”', 'Online student finds his stride…and strength', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'online-student-finds-his-strideand-strength', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:08:45', '2014-10-02 18:08:45', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/online-student-finds-his-strideand-strength', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12495, 17, '2014-03-04 10:00:00', '2014-03-04 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2244" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2244" title="Candace Hunter" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Me-300x223.jpg" alt="Candace Hunter" width="300" height="223" /> As a program instructor, Candace''s job is not just to train her students in the ways of their profession, but to teach them how to be professional members of the work force.[/caption]\r\n\r\nTeachers can spend an entire career trying to figure out how to connect with students. For <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical Medical Assisting and Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting</a> instructor, Candace Hunter, it just comes naturally.\r\n\r\n“Building trust,” says Mrs. Hunter. “I like to share stories about things I have witnessed during my 23-years as a Medical Assistant. We talk about things like how to handle a difficult patient and about how you can react the way you would like to, or how to react in a professional way,” she says.\r\n\r\nCandace likes to lean in to the challenges of teaching students who have very diverse backgrounds and work experience.\r\n\r\n“I really enjoy it when students come in and they don’t know anything medical,” she says. “To see the change from where they start to what they become is very gratifying. Not only is it affirmation that they are in the right program, it is a self-esteem booster for a lot of these students.”\r\n\r\nIt does not take CMA and CAMA students very long to figure out that they are in good hands in Mrs. Hunter’s class.\r\n\r\n“She is a caring teacher who puts her focus and time in to her students,” says student Michelle Navarro. “The class, as a whole, thrives to want to do better because of her structure and being a good role model so we don’t want to disappoint her.”\r\n\r\nThen, there is the <i>Fred Factor</i>. Writer Mark Sanborn’s bestseller, <i>The Fred Factor</i>, was about his postman, Fred, and the extraordinary service he provided. Sanborn identifies four principles that some people have that demonstrate the <i>Fred Factor</i>. Those are individuals who: choose to make a positive difference each day, have a heart for people, change ordinary moments into memorable ones, and lead by example.\r\n\r\n<a title="SJVC Fresno" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/" target="_blank">Fresno Campus</a> Director, Sumer Avila, took his inspiration and set up a nomination system to recognize those attitudes and behaviors with a <i>Fred Factor </i>award for students, staff and faculty.\r\n\r\nRecently, an Orientation for new students was interrupted in order to present Candace Hunter with nine Fred Factor Awards. “It was great because many students at the Orientation would be in my class the following Monday, and they got to see that and maybe think, ‘Hey, we’ve got an awesome teacher,’” says Candace.\r\n\r\nCandace is quick to credit SJVC with providing programs that give graduates the best opportunity for success. “I admire the fact that at SJVC we go more in depth in student training,” she says. “Our students have an advantage when they go out there because they have more knowledge.”\r\n\r\nHer students feel both the weight of the medical programs’ expectations and the support to do well. “She makes sure we understand what we are learning and cares if we aren’t doing well,” says Kathryn Wilson. “She wants to help us to succeed in our career.”\r\n\r\nCandace creates an equal opportunity learning environment where each student gets her full attention.\r\n\r\n“Lots of students come in with a lot of uncertainty and very little direction,” says Candace. “But, they know they want to have a better life, to provide better for their families, but they’re not sure how to do it.\r\n\r\nShe starts with professionalism; one of the things, she admits, that is the hardest to teach.\r\n\r\n“I explain that in past jobs they might have been able to come to work late, dress how they want, use swear words or talk back to a supervisor…but not when they get into their new profession,” says Candace.\r\n\r\nCandace knew about this code of professional behavior long before she entered the workforce.\r\n\r\n“My dad, Harold, was my hero, she says. “He worked long hours as a truck driver and always had good words of advice: get to work before you are supposed to start. Don’t expect anyone to hand anything to you, you will only achieve anything with hard work, and never settle for less.”\r\n\r\nCandace remains a steadfast role model, as her students gradually embrace the skills and behaviors of their new profession.\r\n\r\n“It just feels great to be a part of someone’s professional and personal growth,” says Candace.\r\n\r\nIt makes her time at home with her husband, Rayme, and their two dogs all the sweeter.', 'MA students pile it on for favorite instructor', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'ma-students-pile-it-on-for-favorite-instructor', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:09:31', '2014-10-02 18:09:31', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/ma-students-pile-it-on-for-favorite-instructor', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12496, 14, '2014-03-17 10:00:00', '2014-03-17 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2254" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2254 " title="Matthew Goldman" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Goldman-300x225.jpg" alt="Matthew Goldman" width="300" height="225" /> In the military, Matthew worked a dog handler for Military Police. As a civilian, he hopes to continue working with canines, after a new career of course.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAfter seeing his grandfather serve, Matthew Goldman knew he wanted to join the military. An injury sustained in the service would change all that, resulting in him being discharged and having to find a new way of living.\r\n\r\n“The military was part of my life from a very young age,” says Matthew.\r\n\r\nHis grandfather was an officer of the Air Force and, because his grandparents raised him, Matthew spent most of his childhood moving across the country. Wherever they were, his grandfather made sure to take his grandson to the nearest Air Force Base and show him around.\r\n\r\n“I remember seeing all the planes and knew right from that moment that the Air Force was for me,” says Matthew.\r\n\r\nIn 2001, inspired by the example of his grandfather, Matthew enlisted in the Air Force. In the service, he worked with canines. At one point he even worked on the Presidential dog team security detail.\r\n\r\nDuring this time he also met his future wife, a fellow service member. Unfortunately, it was also during this time that Matthew was injured.\r\n\r\nMatthew had served for 12 years by the time his injury caught up with him. In 2013 he was medically retired, cutting short his lifelong dream of a career in the military.\r\n\r\nMatthew was a civilian again. His first real problem was simply deciding what to do with his life now that he was out. His wife was still in the Air Force, so she would be moving frequently from base to base. Matt needed to find a line of work that would let him easily follow her.\r\n\r\nMatthew looked for educational opportunities in the Lancaster area, while waiting for his wife to receive new orders. After finding relatively few in his research, he happened upon SJVC. The <a title="SJVC Antelope Valley" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/" target="_blank">Lancaster</a> campus offered a program that would allow him to stay close with his wife while she finished her military career.\r\n\r\n<a title="Pharmacy Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology/" target="_blank">Pharmacy technology</a> was the program that best served his interests. The idea was that there would have to be a hospital or medical clinic at or near every Air Force base his wife could be stationed at, meaning that he could possibly find work in the pharmacy. There was also the hope of continuing his work from the military, by using his pharmaceutical knowledge to work with drug-sniffing dogs. With a clear mind for the future, he enrolled.\r\n\r\nAs a student, Matthew has had little trouble.\r\n\r\n“He’s very organized, reserved, and diligent,” says Bunnie Cervantes, Pharmacy Technology instructor. “He’s always eager to learn.”\r\n\r\nHe admits though, that his math skills have gotten rusty over the years.\r\n\r\nAt the age of 33, Matt is still quite young, but he is still older than most of his classmates.\r\n\r\n“So many of the students are young,” says Bunnie. “They really appreciate his knowledge of the world.”\r\n\r\nWhen Veteran’s day rolled around last year, it reminded Matt just who he was, and those around him exactly what the day is all about.\r\n\r\n“We take these holidays as days off, for granted,” says Bunnie. “He’s so young, but he’s seen so many things, much more than most of us will.”\r\n\r\nEspecially trying was the recent death of Matthew’s grandfather, the man who had served in the Air Force for a quarter of a century before retiring as a Major, the man who inspired Matt to choose the life he did. Every Veteran’s day he is reminded.\r\n\r\n“Of all the death and chaos that I have witnessed in my career, burying my grandfather was the most difficult thing I ever had to do,” says Matthew. “But I know one day we will be reunited and I’ll be sitting next to him sharing ‘war stories’. Until that time comes I will make it an effort to thank all those who have served before me to ensure they are not forgotten.”\r\n\r\nAfter graduating, Matt will try to keep up with his wife’s deployments, until she retires from the military. At that point, it is their shared dream to open a home business in dog breeding. Currently, he works with Wounded Warrior Project.', 'Veteran looks for new career after 12 years in Air Force', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'a-military-career-cut-short-necessitates-a-new-plan-for-life', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/', '2014-10-02 11:08:15', '2014-10-02 18:08:15', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/a-military-career-cut-short-necessitates-a-new-plan-for-life', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12497, 17, '2014-03-07 12:00:00', '2014-03-07 20:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2260" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2260" title="Curriculum Conference" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/DSC03325b-300x151.jpg" alt="Curriculum Conference" width="300" height="151" /> The members of the conference meet in the Central Administrative Office.[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn Friday, Feb. 7<sup>th</sup> thirty-five <a title="Business Administration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/" target="_blank">Business Administration</a> instructors, division managers, technology coaches, staff and students spent a half-day participating in a Curriculum Conference at SJVC’s Central Administration Offices.\r\n\r\nThe agenda describes the model: <i>Curriculum conferences are instructor-focused and center on teaching tools and the learning process through the sharing and collaboration of classroom ideas, engagement in professional development opportunities and the creation and evaluation of common curriculum for program assessment.</i>\r\n\r\n“The purpose of the conference is to review the tools currently used to teach and assess student learning and make improvements where they are needed,” simplifies Jaimi Paschal, SJVC’s Curriculum Specialist. “The changes are initiated by the BA instructors and benefit students.”\r\n\r\nParticipants included a dozen staff and faculty members from other campuses who attended the conference online, via the <i>Go to Meeting </i>chat site.\r\n\r\nThe Curriculum Conference (CC) alternates every 18-months with Program Review (PR), another campus-wide meeting intended to review, assess and improve program competencies and student learning outcomes.\r\n\r\nFebruary’s conference is the first to include students from the BA program, who had expressed an interest in “having a voice” in their program’s review.\r\n\r\n“I had no idea that this think tank was even part of the structure,” says Business Administration student, Betty Eddy. “I saw the concern and determination to basically put us (students) at the forefront. There should be more students involved in this.”\r\n\r\nThat is exactly what the Curriculum Conference organizers are thinking. Students are encouraged to talk to a program instructor to volunteer for their program’s next conference.\r\n\r\n“It was wonderful to see the student reactions to their experience,” says Sue DeLong, Director of Assessment. “They were so impressed by how much time, attention and concern instructors put into ensuring the program’s curriculum meets the needs and expectations of students.”\r\n\r\nThe ideas, instruction methods and teaching experiences shared guide instructors in effective learning techniques and peak interest triggers. “How do we communicate the ‘cool’ factor of the BA program,” the conference agenda challenges.\r\n\r\n“We are seeing a lot of action and passion behind our instructors’ efforts,” says Paschal. “Our staff and faculty want things to be the best they can be for our students to succeed.”\r\n\r\n“These people are thinking they want us to go looking for a job and the employer sees “SJVC” and they know they have a good candidate,” says Betty. “I have even more faith in my program, as a BA student, than I did when I walked into the conference.”', 'Visalia’s BA program holds Curriculum Conference', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'visalias-ba-program-holds-curriculum-conference', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:09:04', '2014-10-02 18:09:04', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/visalias-ba-program-holds-curriculum-conference', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12498, 14, '2014-03-13 11:00:00', '2014-03-13 18:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2266" align="alignleft" width="181"]<img class="size-full wp-image-2266 " title="Association of Surgical Technologists" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/logo.png" alt="Association of Surgical Technologists" width="181" height="99" /> Michael''s article was published through the Association of Surgical Technologists'' monthly publication: the Surgical Technologist.[/caption]\r\n\r\nWhen Michael Bagtas graduated from SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Fresno" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/" target="_blank">Fresno</a> campus in November of 2012, he could have disappeared from the educational scene, content to work in his career field with his new Associate’s Degree.\r\n\r\nHowever, this <a title="Surgical Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/surgical-technology/" target="_blank">Surgical Technology</a> graduate continues to involve himself in his field beyond simply working. He is a member of the AST, or the Association of Surgical Technologists.\r\n\r\nA degree is necessary for employment, but it is not the only thing. Surgical technologists who wish to continue working in their field must maintain their qualifications over the years.\r\n\r\nThis is where the Association of Surgical Technologists can help. Providing opportunities for continuing education, the organization helps keep surgical technologists in the game, working but continuing to learn and hone their skills.\r\n\r\nAs an active member, Michael wrote an article of his own to be published in the association’s monthly periodical: <i>The Surgical Technologist</i>.\r\n\r\nSJVC prides itself on the outstanding work of its students and graduates. We hope to continue to see former students like Michael involved in the professional organizations specific to their fields.\r\n\r\nKeep up the good work, Michael.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHis article can be accessed through the link below.\r\n\r\n<a href="https://www.ast.org/uploadedFiles/Main_Site/Content/Publications/Web_CE_March_2014.pdf">https://www.ast.org/uploadedFiles/Main_Site/Content/Publications/Web_CE_March_2014.pdf</a>', 'Surgical Technology Graduate''s work published', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'surgical-technologists-work-published', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/surgical-technology/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/', '2014-10-02 11:08:30', '2014-10-02 18:08:30', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/surgical-technologists-work-published', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12499, 17, '2014-03-25 12:00:00', '2014-03-25 19:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2301" align="alignleft" width="225"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2301" title="Rafael Oropeza" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_0180b-225x300.jpg" alt="Rafael Oropeza" width="225" height="300" /> Before working for SJVC, Rafael had never really considered teaching, but his students are glad he finally did.[/caption]\r\n\r\nRafael Oropeza never had a lifelong plan to become a teacher. Maybe that is why his style as an educator is so elastic, and stretches to meet the individual needs of his <a title="Business Administration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/" target="_blank">Business Administration</a> and General Ed students at the <a title="SJVC Temecula" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/temecula/" target="_blank">Temecula</a> campus.\r\n\r\n“I’m constantly changing my teaching style, depending on the type of students I have and their needs,” says Oropeza. “Some need a lot of structure, some more group or individual work, and others more ‘clicker’ activities, where they clicker-vote on the correct answer to a multiple choice question on the board, and we discuss them until all votes are correct.”\r\n\r\nRafael’s objective is to instill enough confidence in his students and in their own abilities, that he can step to the side and allow them to depend on their new-found problem-solving skills.\r\n\r\n“I want them to be in charge of their own learning and to have faith in themselves,” says Oropeza, who encounters a lot of students with ‘math anxiety’. “I get excited when they get the answers on their own, without me walking them through it.”\r\n\r\nWhatever his teaching style, it seems to be working very well. Students voted for Rafael to receive the <i>Apple Award </i>last September that recognized extraordinary instructor effort above and beyond already high expectations.\r\n\r\n“It is not a surprise the students respond well to Mr. O, as they refer to him around campus,” says Robyn Whiles, Campus Director. “There is not a Friday that goes by that you do not find Mr. O in the SC, tutoring math students. He continually changes classroom teaching strategies, looking for small measures of improvement. He has passion for students, strives to make a difference, and always gives the extra effort needed.”\r\n\r\nRafael is plugged into his students’ success and does all he can to help guide them in that direction. During his five-plus years on campus, he has been an ASB and SIFE advisor.\r\n\r\nIt is hard to imagine that a career in education was not on his radar until seeking a position at SJVC. He was, however, always involved in helping others while he was getting his B.A. degree at Cal State San Bernardino in 2008. Rafael volunteered with a literacy program at a local public library, helping Spanish-speaking people struggling with English.\r\n\r\n“That experience and the reward I felt helping them better themselves, gave me an interest in education,” he says.\r\n\r\nIt has been the right move for him and has brought many rewards.\r\n\r\n“There are lots of little moments that stand out,” says Rafael. “A student came up to me recently and said, ‘I just want to let you know that this is the highest grade I’ve ever gotten on a math quiz,’” he says. “It’s the little things students say that let me know it is worth it.”\r\n\r\nSometimes it is not the student’s words, but their personal transformation that shows the impact education can have on confidence levels.\r\n\r\n“There was a student I had in every Business class,” says Oropeza. “He hardly interacted with teachers or students at all; just kept to himself. By the end of it, he was totally outgoing, very funny and engaging with others and had total confidence in just being himself.”\r\n\r\nThese are the stories and life-changes that affirm Rafael’s commitment to teach.\r\n\r\n“First and foremost I want my students to be able to function professionally in the workforce,” says Rafael. “I want them to be able to think about problems and come up with logical steps to solve them. That goes for life, as well as problems at work.”\r\n\r\nRafael hopes to take his success as an educator to an even higher level.\r\n\r\n“I would like to eventually move to a Division Manager or other management role to be able to impact the program even more and contribute more to what the organization is doing for the students,” he says.\r\n\r\nRafael keeps all things in balance and perspective with words of encouragement he pulls from comedian Bill Hicks. “It’s just a ride,” Hicks says. “What it means,” says Rafael, “is that we shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, but take life as it happens and just go with it. It’s always a choice between fear and love…and what are you going to choose.”\r\n\r\nRafael makes his choices pretty clear.', 'Empowering Others Inspires a Commitment to Teaching', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'instructors-teaching-style-is-very-bendy', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/', '2014-10-02 11:07:52', '2014-10-02 18:07:52', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/instructors-teaching-style-is-very-bendy', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12500, 17, '2014-04-01 10:00:00', '2014-04-01 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2306" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2306 " title="Shannon Cocilova and family" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/14-2b-300x294.jpg" alt="Shannon Cocilova and family" width="300" height="294" /> Once a Respiratory Therapy student at SJVC, Shannon is now an instructor for the same program for the same institution.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAs an RT student sitting in the Rancho Cucamonga classroom in 2008, Shannon Cocilova had no idea that she would one day be in the one standing in front of a SJVC classroom covering some of the very same material she was working hard to absorb.\r\n\r\n“I always knew I wanted to be in education,” says Shannon, “but I thought I’d be in departmental education in a hospital. I ended up in the collegiate world where I enjoy extending my knowledge, while trying to keep up with the latest and greatest research, treatments and equipment in our field.”\r\n\r\nAfter graduation from her <a title="Respiratory Therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/" target="_blank">Respiratory Therapy</a> program, Shannon spent almost four years working in Loma Linda University Medical Center’s NICU. Today, she still works as a RT part-time in the NICU at the Rancho Springs Medical Center, while she teaches Respiratory Therapy at the <a title="SJVC Temecula" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/temecula/" target="_blank">Temecula</a> campus.\r\n\r\nAs a Respiratory Therapy student Shannon excelled in her studies. The highlight of her education experience was being part of the LLUMC practitioner team that competed in the State Sputum Bowl, where they took home 1<sup>st</sup> Place in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Their wins qualified the team to compete on a National level where they finally took the top prize in 2011.\r\n\r\nThat experience motivated Shannon to assemble her own team of top RT students to compete in last year’s Sputum Bowl. It didn’t hurt that her <i>Pink Puffers</i> would be going up against SJVC’s Rancho Cucamonga (now Ontario) RT team, the <i>Premature Buzzers</i>.\r\n\r\n“When I started, my goal was to get a team together to beat Grey Benton (Rancho Cucamonga’s RT instructor),” says Shannon. “I have that competitive bug in me!” Temecula’s <i>Pink Puffers </i>won first place in the state and went on to earn third place nationally.\r\n\r\nShannon’s students respond very well to her style of instruction.\r\n\r\n“I’m a hands-on teacher,” she says. “I want to get the students out of their seats and their hands on the equipment they’re going to be working with. “You can easily lose your audience with technical material, so you find a creative way to keep them involved.”\r\n\r\nShannon spends a lot of time helping students understand their role from a patient’s perspective and how patients feel when they struggle to breathe. She has her students exhale and hold their breath while they wrap their chests in ace bandages, just to feel how someone with restrictive lung disease cannot take a deep breath. Or, she has them suck in air through increasingly smaller straws to feel what it is like for asthmatic patients to struggle for air.\r\n\r\n“Anybody can go out there and turn knobs and change settings,” says Shannon. “I want my students to see the whole picture of a patient; to really assess patients and engage them in conversation. Compassion is an essential part of our job.”\r\n\r\nThe respiratory care specialty and its treatment modalities and technology are constantly changing. Shannon wants to make sure that her students enter this career field with everything they need to become successful clinicians.\r\n\r\n“RTs coming into our field need the necessary knowledge to keep up with the ‘super bugs’ we have right now and know the new technology and methods for treating them,” says Shannon.\r\n\r\nShannon had the chance to observe, in a very personal way, the skill and empathy of some of her students when she was a patient in the hospital recently, with post surgery pneumonia. Although Shannon could not speak, she was aware of her externs, whose job it was to give her breathing treatments and EKGs.\r\n\r\n“I got to see them in true action, doing their jobs correctly and well, which made me proud,” she says.\r\n\r\nBack in the classroom Shannon remains committed to helping her RT students achieve their highest professional potential.\r\n\r\n“I want to mold future clinicians to provide the best care possible for their patients,” she says. To see their eagerness to learn, their faces when the light bulb goes off and the excitement in their eyes, is my reward. They just surprise me and make me laugh every day. I love my job.”\r\n\r\nShannon’s son, Anthony, was one of those students, until he graduated this January. She took special pleasure in his accomplishments – including Sputum Bowl team membership – in the career they will now share.\r\n\r\nShannon, husband Anthony and their kids Tony (19) and Kaitlyn (22) enjoy a close home life.\r\n\r\n“I think I’m crazy, but I just don’t want them to leave,” says Shannon about her son and daughter living at home. “I want to hold onto them and not let go.”\r\n\r\nUndoubtedly, they have plenty of room to breathe.', 'Respiratory Therapy grad finds teaching career at SJVC', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'respiratory-therapy-grad-finds-teaching-career-at-sjvc', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:07:35', '2014-10-02 18:07:35', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy-grad-finds-teaching-career-at-sjvc', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12501, 14, '2014-04-02 10:00:00', '2014-04-02 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2319" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2319 " title="The Cast" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/MAM-Cast-Curtain-Call2-300x175.jpg" alt="The Cast" width="300" height="175" /> When Fresno campus staff member Nancy Hale was asked by the Campus Director to start a drama club, she happily complied.[/caption]\r\n\r\nSJVC <a title="SJVC Fresno" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/" target="_blank">Fresno</a>’s latest efforts to support the local Boys and Girls Club show not only a high level of commitment to community involvement and student activity, but also to creativity…and drama.\r\n\r\nThe Fresno campus Upstage Club is relatively young, with an early 2013 start date, but it has shown that age has little to do with action.\r\n\r\n“It was supposed to be a community thing to get students involved,” says Nancy Hale, the club’s creator. “It’s fun to be able to communicate on this level, to bring staff and students together, as equals.”\r\n\r\nCasting is open to students, staff, and faculty, so instructors can act alongside their students.\r\n\r\nAfter choosing a play and rehearsing, it is time for the players to perform before their classmates. Each play runs roughly 30 minutes, and each will show 3 times, enabling students in morning, afternoon, and evening class sessions to attend.\r\n\r\nThe tickets cost $2 each, or $3 for two. The turnouts are significant, filling the Fresno Campus lecture hall to the brim.\r\n\r\n“It’s not a huge cost to put them on, so the profits can go to charity,” says Nancy.\r\n\r\nThe most recent play was <i>Cleft for Me</i> by Maurice Berger, a comedy and social commentary meant to make the audience laugh as well as reconsider their own priorities.\r\n\r\nThe money earned from the production is given to the Boys and Girls Club of Fresno County. The most recent production’s profits sent a number of boys and girls to the Annual National Keystone Conference in Anaheim, when otherwise the organization would not have had enough to send them all.\r\n\r\nFortuitously enough, the most recent cast included one student who, in their youth, benefited from the charitable work of the Boys and Girls Club.\r\n\r\nThe campus is quite proud of being able to help in this way, all the while adhering to its core values and instilling a care for community in the minds of its students. It sets a great example for this next generation of professionals.\r\n\r\n“It really helps to build community,” says Nancy.\r\n\r\nWith the most recent production finished, it is now time to hold auditions and pick a script for the next production to run in July. So far, the Drama Club has put on four plays, but plans to hold many more. The club plans to hold three plays every year.\r\n\r\nOn a bittersweet note, the club will soon be losing many of its members, as the players graduate from their programs and pursue new careers. Upstage will need more students to take their place.\r\n\r\n“Everyone else in the club appears to share my love,” says Cullen Dagatan, student and club participant. “I would encourage you to join if acting is something you’re interested in.\r\n\r\nWe can hardly wait to see what they put on next!', 'SJVC Fresno sets the stage for laughter and charity', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'sjvc-fresno-sets-the-stage-for-laughter-and-charity', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:07:09', '2014-10-02 18:07:09', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-fresno-sets-the-stage-for-laughter-and-charity', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12502, 17, '2014-04-14 10:00:00', '2014-04-14 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2328" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2328" title="Shaun Hudson-Gilpin" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Hudson-Gilpin-Shaun-300x250.jpg" alt="Shaun Hudson-Gilpin" width="300" height="250" /> After spending his adult life jumping from one odd job to the next, Shaun realized that he needed to go back to school to get the career he wanted.[/caption]\r\n\r\nShaun Hudson-Gilpin is a self-appointed Ambassador-at-Large for San Joaquin Valley College’s <a title="SJVC Antelope Valley" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/" target="_blank">Lancaster</a> campus. Once he discovered what a perfect fit the <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting</a> program was for him, he made certain that others in his personal orbit explored their career destinies at SJVC, as well.\r\n\r\nShaun brought his buddy Marcos when he dropped in to check out medical programs at the campus. Admissions Advisor Crystal Molina asked him lots of questions to help him find his perfect career match.\r\n\r\n“Crystal knows how to pick your brain so that she can direct you to the right path,” says Shaun.\r\n\r\nMarcos was inspired to enroll that day, as well, but in the Criminal Justice program. “Marcos is excited about his program, and thanks me every day,” says Shaun.\r\n\r\nAt twenty-five Shaun had spent a few years trying out different jobs. It wasn’t until he lost his customer service job at a local bank that he put on the brakes and decided that he wasn’t going to get ahead without going back to school.\r\n\r\nHis brother, Michael had studied hard to become an Emergency Medical Technician, and his sister, Brianna was in community college taking all the prerequisites necessary to get into a nursing program.\r\n\r\n“I had worked since I was out of high school and never had the time to go to college,” says Shaun. “But, now I had the free time and the opportunity to get a degree.”\r\n\r\nShaun threw himself into his education and found that his instincts for a medical career were spot on…with just one small area of concern.\r\n\r\n“Drawing blood was hard for me in the beginning,” he says. “It’s a 5-week course and it took me 3-weeks to work up the courage and confidence to stick a needle in someone else’s arm. Now I feel like a vampire, always feeling for good veins,” he laughs.\r\n\r\nHis amazing progress was not lost on Brianna, who was still struggling to get the classes she needed. She decided that Shaun’s was a better and more direct route to a nursing career, so she soon followed suit at SJVC.\r\n\r\nSince enrolling, Shaun has participated in every single orientation for new students. He assists with breakfast set-up, helps students to get settled, gives them information about programs and stands by for any testimonial input requested by SJVC presenters. Shaun has ‘sleeve’ tattoos and is occasionally asked to talk to students about how body art might be camouflaged for a work environment.\r\n\r\nShaun says that Campus Director, Joel Morgan has called out to him during orientation, “Shaun, come up here and model for us.” Shaun will show his tatts and explain about special detachable sleeves that athletes wear, which work well and are more comfortable in warm weather, than long-sleeved shirts.\r\n\r\nMainly, Shaun wants to make sure that these new students know they have found the right place to get their careers lined up. He wants them to know that they have found a home.\r\n\r\n“A lot of the time you are in different classes with lots of the same people and you feed each others’ good energy,” says Shaun. It is family-oriented here. Students, staff, teachers; everyone gets close.”\r\n\r\nShaun doesn’t miss a chance to recruit more friends and family toward education and a better career path through SJVC.\r\n\r\nHis friend Zac didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Shaun brought him in to see Crystal and as he promised Zac, she got to the heart of his natural talents and career fit. “Zac started the Business program in December and is in Academic Excellence, too,” says Shaun, who already has another friend lined up for the Industrial Tech program.\r\n\r\nShaun credits Crystal with providing the insight and support he and his friends have needed to pursue their educational and career success.\r\n\r\n“Other college advisors are like, ‘welcome…goodbye’”, says Shaun. “She has tons of patience and empathizes very well. She’s there for us for the long-term.”\r\n\r\nShaun’s ultimate goal is to get a B.A. degree in nursing and eventual certification in anesthesiology.\r\n\r\n“I know the things I want in life and where I want to be,” says Shaun. “I want to go to Russia for the World Cup – I’m a die-hard soccer fan. I <b>will</b> be at the Summer Olympics in Brazil in 2016. I want to be financially able to do pretty much whatever I like.”\r\n\r\nWe are happy to have helped ignite the fire for that future.', 'CAMA student is passionate recruiter', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'cama-student-is-passionate-recruiter-2', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:05:45', '2014-10-02 18:05:45', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/cama-student-is-passionate-recruiter-2', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(12503, 17, '2014-04-04 10:00:00', '2014-04-04 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2348" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2348" title="Jesus Sanchez visits Fernando Deanda" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/20140325_133411b-300x193.jpg" alt="Jesus Sanchez visits Fernando Deanda" width="300" height="193" /> When Jesus witnessed a shocking wreck on his morning commute, he was the first person there to help.[/caption]\r\n\r\nIt was 6:40 one Monday morning when <a title="Dental Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-assistant/" target="_blank">Dental Assisting</a> student, Jesus Sanchez, just a few minutes into his 25-minute commute from Farmersville to the <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> campus, was jolted into full alert.  Just ahead of him a SUV and a motorcyclist collided, and the bike rider was briefly airborne.\r\n\r\n“It happened real quick, but it seemed like forever, too,” says Jesus. “He swerved his motorcycle to avoid collision, but his body took the brunt of the impact.”\r\n\r\nJesus pulled his car between oncoming traffic and the crash victim’s body, which had landed near the side of the road of oncoming traffic. Jesus was first to get to the injured man, and his instinct kicked in.\r\n\r\n“I wasn’t aware of making any decisions, my body just responded automatically,” says Jesus.\r\n\r\n"It looked really bad,” says Jesus, "especially his right side where he hit the truck.”\r\n\r\nThe young man tried to lift his head, and then lay back down. Jesus first checked the victim’s breathing. There was no respiration; he felt no pulse. Jesus sprinted to his car to get his CPR face mask.\r\n\r\n“I always keep it in my car like Mrs. Hover (DA instructor) told me to,” says Jesus, who had just completed CPR training the month before, as part of his DA program.\r\n\r\nWhile others who stopped their cars were calling 911, Jesus began to perform his newly acquired live-saving skill: thirty compressions, two breaths, thirty compressions, two breaths…then, there was motion. The victim awoke, but could not talk. He nodded in response to Jesus’ question about whether he knew he had been in an accident. He mumbled, then he was back out.\r\n\r\n“Don’t fall asleep on me; stay awake; the ambulance is on the way!” Jesus told him. “His body got loose, he was unconscious, and I started CPR again.”\r\n\r\nA fire truck got to the site, and a couple of minutes later the ambulance arrived. Jesus was asked to step away. After a few minutes the emergency crew told him that he could leave.\r\n\r\nLater that morning Jesus found out from mutual friends that the victim’s name was Fernando Deanda. When Jesus left school that day he decided to go to Kaweah Delta District Hospital to check on him. In the waiting room he met Fernando’s family and friends, some of whom he knew from high school. Fernando was still in surgery and no one knew what the outcome might be.\r\n\r\n“Everybody got up and started hugging me when I got there,” says Jesus. “I was there all afternoon, while Fernando had multiple surgeries.”\r\n\r\nAs it turned out, Fernando’s right leg was shattered with several breaks and his forearm was broken. But, Fernando had survived because of the life-saving procedure Jesus had performed. It was a fact not lost on Fernando’s family.\r\n\r\n“Fernando’s family kept saying that my name (Jesus) was put on me for a reason,” he says. “I felt a lot of appreciation and love from them.”\r\n\r\nIt has been a little over a week since Fernando’s accident, and in that time two lives have changed. Fernando, undoubtedly, feels a greater sense of appreciation for the life he nearly lost. And, Jesus feels what it is like to be the perfect person in the perfect place at the perfect time, to save a life. It has renewed his sense of himself.\r\n\r\nJesus and Fernando have gotten close, and Fernando’s family has made Jesus part of them. Jesus’ own family, especially his mom, Raquel, is very proud of what he was able to do for someone else. Word of his heroics has gotten around the SJVC campus, too.\r\n\r\n“All the teachers from the DA program know about it, and they tell me it takes a lot to stop and do what I did,” says Jesus. “I am thankful I had Mrs. Hover for a teacher and she taught me CPR really good, or I wouldn’t know what to do.”\r\n\r\nJesus and his new friend, Fernando, have plans to ride their quads on the dunes at Pismo Beach, once Fernando fully recovers. He is being transferred to a rehabilitation facility where he will undergo intense physical therapy for several more weeks.\r\n\r\n“I feel like me and him got connected really well,” says Jesus. “His family sees me like family now.”\r\n\r\nA single moment can have an everlasting effect. Just ask Fernando and Jesus.', 'Visalia student saves a life', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'visalia-student-saves-a-life', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:06:52', '2014-10-02 18:06:52', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia-student-saves-a-life', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12504, 17, '2014-04-10 10:00:00', '2014-04-10 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2335" align="alignleft" width="250"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2335" title="Kim Houseal" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/selfie-250x300.jpg" alt="Kim Houseal" width="250" height="300" /> After losing two of the most important people in her life, Kim soldiered on, with the help and support of her family.[/caption]\r\n\r\nKim Houseal never took the support and encouragement she has gotten over the years from friends and family for granted. She is grateful for every bit of it, and does all she can to build her own strengths, confidence and capabilities.\r\n\r\nHer parents, Warren and Patty, always encouraged Kim toward higher education and by the time she was eighteen, Kim had completed Dental Assisting training and was working full-time. But, dental assisting did not meet the need she felt to be in the medical field.\r\n\r\nKim had long admired her grandmother, Lorraine, who was a nurse and treated war-wounded military personnel during her long career. Lorraine was Kim’s source of inspiration to pursue a life in medicine.\r\n\r\n“My earliest memory of my grandmother as a nurse was when I was in fifth grade, and I heard about everything that she did back during the war, like dressing wounds and caring for the wounded,” says Kim. “It made me want to help people in a way that you couldn’t in any other field.”\r\n\r\nKim lost her grandmother a year before enrolling in the <a title="SJVC Antelope Valley" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/" target="_blank">Lancaster</a> Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting program. Two months into her <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">CAMA</a> program, Kim’s father passed away unexpectedly. Kim, her mother and two sisters, Jessica and Cassidy, pushed forward without two of their biggest cheerleaders.\r\n\r\nKim focused hard on her studies and on bonding with fellow classmates. She was surprised to find so much support and camaraderie around her, from both instructors and classmates. She was always on the Dean’s List and ended her program with a 3.66 GPA.\r\n\r\n“I was surprised at how dedicated the teachers are to helping you one-on-one,” says Kim. “And, we all (classmates) got along, talked and helped and trusted each other,” which was put to the test when it came time to perform injections and blood draws on each other.\r\n\r\n“At first we were laughing about it, but when those needles came out, everybody got serious and professional,” says Kim.\r\n\r\nKim’s rapport with instructors and fellow students did not go unnoticed.\r\n\r\n“Kim’s ability to connect with her classmates, faculty and staff is amazing,” says instructor La Shawna Poston. “If her performance in my class is any indication of how well she will succeed, Kim will do extremely well in the medical field.”\r\n\r\nThroughout her CAMA program Kim worked part-time at a local movie theater, but she was very surprised when her Campus Director suggested she interview for a full-time front office position at Avors Medical Group. One interview later, she was hired. Fortunately, Kim only had to balance one month of full-time work with class while she completed her studies.\r\n\r\nToday Kim enjoys the satisfaction of a career she feels was made possible by the support and encouragement of so many. Family, teachers, classmates, close friends, and her boyfriend, Enrique – all have made it possible for her to be in the medical field she so desired.\r\n\r\n“I love the people I work with and like what I am doing, but I want to be more in the back-office,” says Kim. “They are cross-training me now, and I get to take patient vitals and be more involved in direct patient care,” she says.\r\n\r\nKim has some big plans of her own to extend her patient involvement.\r\n\r\n“I plan on going back to school and start working toward my B.A.; and then maybe get into a nursing program.”\r\n\r\nKim is making certain that she is ready for the next phase of her life by enriching the one she is living right now.\r\n\r\n“I love to cook, go to the gym and hike; that’s my life,” she says. Kim hits the gym five days a week; sometimes during her lunch break.\r\n\r\n“I spend 30-40 minutes working out and eat in the 20 minutes I have left,” she says. “It helps me to be more energized throughout the day; and I don’t get that afternoon crash.”\r\n\r\nKim has managed to get a few co-workers to join her on 5-6 mile hikes in areas about a hour’s drive away.\r\n\r\n“We go almost every weekend, and it helps us to get to know each other a little better,” she says.\r\n\r\nKim isn’t very worried about the future. She knows that she will take it a step at a time, that whatever support and encouragement she needs will be there when she needs it. Her dad’s best advice still rings true for her:\r\n\r\n“Just be your best self and live your own dreams to create your own happiness.”\r\n\r\nKim has a lock on that.', 'Support is key to CAMA student’s success', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'support-is-key-to-cama-students-success', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:06:03', '2014-10-02 18:06:03', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/support-is-key-to-cama-students-success', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12505, 17, '2014-04-08 10:00:00', '2014-04-08 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2345" title="Virginia Harris" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/001-225x300.jpg" alt="Virginia Harris" width="225" height="300" />Virginia Harris did not plan to be a teacher. As a Cal State Long Beach student in the 1970s, she was on track to go to medical school. But college opened her eyes to more than career aspirations when she took up the mantle of activism. Education and career objectives took a backseat to the priorities of inequality.\r\n\r\nThroughout those years she spent a lot of time participating in walk-outs, sit-ins, demonstrations and carrying picket signs. Protests of the Vietnam War were intertwined with racial tensions.\r\n\r\n“The entire decade of the 70''s was a distraction to my path into the medical field,” says Virginia.\r\n\r\nShe found herself immersed in community organizing and became a strident member of the Black Panther Party. Organizing efforts helped provide breakfast and lunches to disadvantaged children. The Black Panther Party persuaded businesses to donate groceries and shoes to children, and the Chapter provided after-school tutoring programs for students struggling academically.\r\n\r\nVirginia went to Mississippi during the 1987 elections to help thwart a Klu Klux Klan threat to disrupt the elections there. Without realizing it, Virginia’s activism brought to her the very skills and understanding that would make her such a beloved teacher.\r\n\r\n“Being a community organizer helped me in being an instructor because it allows me to be open to hear what the needs of people are, to be considerate of what people need and not feel that my program or what I want done is the only way to do that,” says Virginia.\r\n\r\nSonia Candelas, a previous Business Administration program student who now works at SJVC, says, “I always was inspired by her and wasn’t shocked when I found out how much of a voice she had in the Civil Rights Movement. Her work with Rosa Parks shows that anyone who is willing to put in the effort will do great things.”\r\n\r\nVirginia draws much of her personal and professional inspiration from her mother, Hazel, who instilled in her a strong sense of justice. Virginia’s daughter, Karrie, keeps her grounded, and Mrs. Rosa Parks, as well as Elaine Brown, Chairman for the Black Panthers during part of that tumultuous decade of the 70s, are also strong influences.\r\n\r\nA year ago, after seven years at the University of Antelope Valley, Virginia became an instructor for the <a title="Medical Office program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-office/" target="_blank">Administrative Health Care Management</a> program at the <a title="SJVC Antelope Valley" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/" target="_blank">Lancaster</a> campus. As a formerly licensed Emergency Medical Technician who still feels the pull toward the clinical side of medicine, Virginia knows the importance of impressing her AHCM students with the full impact of their career choice.\r\n\r\n“The administrative side of a medical practice is what keeps the office running and gets the bills paid,” she says. “The front office is the hub, and preparing students to work in that position is really exciting for me.”\r\n\r\nWhile students are hard at work learning medical terminology, billing and coding procedures and patient scheduling protocol, Mrs. Harris makes sure that there is plenty of fun to go along with it.\r\n\r\n“There is lots of laughter in my class,” she says. “Students are really floored when they find out that I am 61, and that tickles me. I believe I’m still young at heart and carry myself that way.”\r\n\r\nVirginia has a couple of ways to relax that might give her students pause. She likes to unload a little lead at the firing range. Shotgun, rifle or pistol, she enjoys building her skills and her own brand of relaxation.\r\n\r\nUntil she broke an ankle, she also enjoyed skydiving. “I promised my daughter, Karrie, that I would stop if I ever got hurt.” Good news for Virginia’s mom, too.\r\n\r\nVirginia also likes to do crossword puzzles – in ink. “My whole focus is keeping my mind sharp as long as I can. I will never stop learning and believe that we should learn something new every day.”\r\n\r\nShe makes sure that happens by taking classes along the way. “I am a perpetual student and will take any class to enhance my skills, whether administrative or clinical,” says Virginia.\r\n\r\nVirginia has lots of motivation to push herself to greater heights of education and accomplishment.\r\n\r\n“My students motivate me,” she says. “They are the reason I get up in the morning; that I get here on time. I want to see the future, and I see the future in them.”', 'Unplanned career falls into place', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'unplanned-career-falls-into-place', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:06:37', '2014-10-02 18:06:37', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/unplanned-career-falls-into-place', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12506, 17, '2014-04-09 10:00:00', '2014-04-09 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2358" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2358" title="Roullard and Westling" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/20140331_130904b-300x279.jpg" alt="George the Giraffe" width="300" height="279" /> Linda Roullard &amp; Josh Westling pose with George, the Giraffe.[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn March 5<sup>th</sup> SJVC staff, faculty and around 40 <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a>, <a title="Medical Office program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-office/" target="_blank">Medical Office</a> and <a title="Pharmacy Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology/" target="_blank">Pharmacy Technology</a> students from the Visalia campus participated in <i>Kids Day </i>to help raise money for Central California Children’s Hospital. This annual event put over 5,000 volunteers on the streets of local towns to sell the <i>Fresno Bee </i>newspaper to motorists and passersby.\r\n\r\nThe goal this year was to raise half a million dollars to support Children’s Hospital and their services and departments, such as the pediatric intensive care unit and oncology program.\r\n\r\nWhile last year’s effort raised about $483,000, this year’s goal was surpassed with over $514,000 raised in the valley.\r\n\r\n<a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">SJVC Visalia</a> collected $3,000 and earned a third place award in the Colleges and Universities category.\r\n\r\n“This was a record for us,” says Eric Lindberg, Division Manager. “We even sold newspapers from another organization that they left our group upon leaving the street corner.”\r\n\r\nSJVC volunteers picked four of the busiest intersections in Visalia to hawk their newspapers, and sold a whopping 1,750.\r\n\r\nParticipating staff and faculty include:\r\n\r\n<b>Eric Lindberg </b>(Division Manager)\r\n\r\n<b>            Cecilia Avalos </b>(MOMA Dept.) and <i>Kids Day </i>Event Coordinator for Visalia campus<b>         </b>\r\n\r\n<b>            Linda Roullard </b>(MOMA Dept.)\r\n\r\n<b>            Sujana DeAlmeida </b>(MOMA Dept.)\r\n\r\n<b>            Carlota Reid </b>(MOMA Dept.)\r\n\r\n<b>            Nina Lund </b>(MOMA Dept.)\r\n\r\n<b>            Melinda Sandoval </b>(MOMA Dept.)\r\n\r\n<b>            MaryAnn Cuellar </b>(MOMA Dept.)\r\n\r\n<b>            Josh Westling </b>(Respiratory Therapy Dept.)\r\n\r\n<b>            Elizabeth Andrade </b>(Pharmacy Tech. Dept.)\r\n\r\n<b>            Kathy Self </b>(Pharmacy Tech. Dept.)\r\n\r\nCentral California Children’s Hospital held a nice luncheon last week to celebrate the challenge winners. When he received the Third Place award on behalf of SJVC’s contribution, Eric Lindberg quipped, “Now that I know <b>food </b>is involved, next year we’ll beat Fresno State’s $42,000!”', 'Visalia campus helps to break Kids Day record', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'visalia-campus-helps-to-break-kids-day-record', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/pharmacy-technology/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/', '2014-10-02 11:06:21', '2014-10-02 18:06:21', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia-campus-helps-to-break-kids-day-record', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12507, 17, '2014-04-17 10:00:00', '2014-04-17 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2368" align="alignleft" width="200"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2368" title="Barbara Knudsen" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Hat2-200x300.jpg" alt="Barbara Knudsen" width="200" height="300" /> After Barbara''s job was downsized, she realized she needed further education to do the job she had been doing this whole time, and so she set out to earn it.[/caption]\r\n\r\nBarbara Knudsen had worked in the medical field for several years in Ft. Worth, Texas. Although her only medical certification was for front office coding, she found herself working full-time, performing primarily back office procedures for a General Practice physician. Barbara did EKGs, bone density and pulmonary function tests, gave injections, and trained a long line of Medical Assisting externs who steadily cycled through this busy medical practice.\r\n\r\nBut when staff downsizing included her position, Barbara was surprised to find that all of her back office experience did not mean much without certification.\r\n\r\n“I thought I’d slip into a doctor’s office and they’d be happy to have me,” says Barbara. “But, nobody would consider me because I wasn’t certified, even though I was the one who had been training externs.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile she started up a part-time business helping older people to function better at home and continue to maintain their independence. But that business, alone, just did not generate enough income.\r\n\r\n“I needed more income, faster,” says Barbara.\r\n\r\nShe found SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> accelerated <a title="Dental Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a> program and jumped in.\r\n\r\n“I hit the books real hard, and 8-9 months later I got the certification,” she exclaims. “It was more intense than I thought. I expected it to be easier since I had worked in a doctor’s office and was already pretty familiar with medical terminology.”\r\n\r\nBarbara still breezed through with a 4.0 GPA and a constant presence on the Dean’s List. Next, she undertook her job search with the same determination she applied to her studies.\r\n\r\n“Barbara was very proactive and committed to her job search,” says Jane LeBarge, Career Services Advisor. “She handled herself in a very professional manner, and her dedication to the program and job search led her to success.”\r\n\r\n“I know that in order to get a better job for a better future, you need certification or a degree,” says Barbara. “Now you still have to prove yourself, but that you have taken the time to complete the whole course tells the employer that you have that education and potential.”\r\n\r\nBarbara got the position she wanted at Cityview Surgery Center in Ft. Worth. The additional income allows her to pursue her truest passion in life…horses. Peruvian horses to be precise. She owns five of them at present and keeps them on her 2 ½ acres.\r\n\r\nThese horses are not just for the visual pleasure they provide from their pastoral setting. They are used for trail-riding in local Texas areas, and performing equestrian drill for rodeos and other arena horse functions, with a sprinkling of competitions in Oklahoma and Texas, as well as the occasional parade. Equestrian drill is “kind of like square dancing on horseback,” she says.\r\n\r\nAnd, at 70-years old, it is Barbara sitting side-saddle, guiding them through their paces. In her spare time, she judges drill competitions all over the U.S. and is Vice President of the Oklahoma Equestrian Drill Association where she hires the judges and is responsible for tabulating team drill competitions.\r\n\r\nShe is proud of her horses and loves putting them through their paces – especially Carina Del Sol, who is snow-white with a long mane and tail.\r\n\r\n“She will do anything I ask,” says Barbara. “I let her go as fast as her legs will take her, and we whip around those barrels and those poles. When we leave the arena people cheer!”\r\n\r\nBarbara has two reasons for pushing herself to extend her education, earn MA certification, and get back into the medical field.\r\n\r\n“I love work and I love people,” she says. “It keeps you from getting old. It exercises your muscles – and your brain is an important muscle.”\r\n\r\nHer second reason comes down to the practicalities of life. “I’m tired of scraping for money to have fun,” says Barbara. “It’s gas money to go where I want to go and do what I want to do.”\r\n\r\nShe is already thinking about her next adventure.\r\n\r\n“I figure I got one more move left in me,” Barbara says. “I’ll keep my MA certification active and get a little closer to the mountains. Some place with nice trail-riding.”\r\n\r\nFade to black.', 'Medical Assisting certification makes all the difference', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'medical-assisting-certification-makes-all-the-difference', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/', '2014-10-02 11:04:53', '2014-10-02 18:04:53', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assisting-certification-makes-all-the-difference', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12508, 14, '2014-04-14 10:00:00', '2014-04-14 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2315" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2315" title="Emily Lewis" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Picture-4-300x225.jpg" alt="Emily Lewis" width="300" height="225" /> When excessive doubt threatened to hold Emily Lewis back from success, he advisors and instructors did their best to help, and show her she had the power to succeed within her all along.[/caption]\r\n\r\nWhen Emily Lewis decided to go back to school for a new career, her self-doubt almost crippled her efforts, but with the help of her instructors and advisor, she was able to recognize the talents within and excel.\r\n\r\nEmily was no stranger to the medical field, having worked in it for over twenty years.\r\n\r\n“I love people, helping them get better,” she says. “At the end of the day, it’s what makes me happy.”\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, Emily’s work had grown stagnant. She wanted something interesting, something new. She had done the same old thing for too long, but she had always wanted to move up, to learn new skills and in doing so help more people. But there was a problem.\r\n\r\n“I didn’t think I had the patience,” says Emily.\r\n\r\nNevertheless, she took the plunge. After shopping around for the best possible school, she chose SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> campus and enrolled. The program was for a certificate in <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a> so she could finally move up in the medical field as she wanted. However, she began to have trouble.\r\n\r\n“Her confidence was nowhere to be found,” says Alex Nolasco, SJVC Online academic advisor. “She would call me literally daily, telling me ‘I can’t’.”\r\n\r\nEmily had been in the workforce for most of her life, where she excelled. So was so proficient in her work that she received the recognition of Employee of the Month time after time. But those skills were not helping her in her new life as a student. The pace was too fast for her.\r\n\r\n“At the beginning, I didn’t think I could do it,” says Emily.\r\n\r\nMost students contact their advisor for occasional help, occasional being the key term. Some days, Emily would call as many as three times. She was just so nervous. She worried what her instructors might think if she did not know an answer.\r\n\r\nOther schools might have been less understanding, willing to let Emily fall through the cracks, unwilling to devote the extra time and effort to help her succeed. Not this one.\r\n\r\n“They knew I was struggling,” she says. “So they took time with me, walked me through.”\r\n\r\nAlex had not only ears for Emily’s concerns, but words of encouragement. Alex did her best to help Emily overcome her fears and reach a place where she did not need as much help- a place where Emily knew she had all the power she needed within herself.\r\n\r\nEmily found that place, graduating with her certificate. She proved her strength to herself, and to her grandchildren, who could then learn a lesson about confidence and hard work.\r\n\r\nNo more did she call her advisor two or three times a day, because she did not need to. She finally knew she could do this.\r\n\r\n“I feel good about myself,” she says. “I learned so much.”\r\n\r\nHer confidence had grown so much that she returned to SJVC, continuing her education by enrolling for a program to get her Associate’s degree. She has also considered going even further by getting a Bachelor’s degree.\r\n\r\nThough she began her education nervous and unsure, thanks to the help of her advisors, and her recognizing her own strengths, she has become a better and more confident person.\r\n\r\n“I would recommend SJVC to anybody.”', 'Self-doubt no match for hard work', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'self-doubt-no-match-for-hard-work-3', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:05:29', '2014-10-02 18:05:29', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/self-doubt-no-match-for-hard-work-3', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12509, 17, '2014-04-16 12:00:00', '2014-04-16 19:00:00', '<img class="size-medium wp-image-2400 alignleft" title="The SJVC Rancho Cordova Team" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/DSCN2414-300x168.jpg" alt="The SJVC Rancho Cordova Team" width="300" height="168" />\r\n\r\nCue the sound track for <i>Rocky </i>as twenty-two SJVC <a title="Respiratory Therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy/" target="_blank">Respiratory Therapy</a> students, staff and faculty joined hundreds of other greater Sacramento residents to charge up the 612-steps of the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Sacramento for the <i>Fight for Air Climb</i> on April 12<sup>th</sup>.\r\n\r\nThere was a lot of huffing and puffing and hamstrings were on fire, as race entrants stormed their way to the rooftop of the building, the tallest in Sacramento.\r\n\r\nMichelle Tapp, Rancho Cordova’s General Ed instructor and Librarian, was the first from SJVC’s team to make it to the top. “I just wanted to beat my time from last year,” says Michelle. She came in at just under 6-minutes, bettering her 2013 time of 6.5 minutes and her 10.5 minute dash in 2012.\r\n\r\nAll of SJVC’s climbers made it to the top; some taking a little longer than others. “It was pretty lonely at the top there for awhile,” laughs Michelle. “It was great to cheer everybody and give high-fives, as they came up the stairs.”\r\n\r\nThis is the fifth year this race has been held, and the fifth year SJVC <a title="SJVC Rancho Cordova" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/rancho-cordova/" target="_blank">Rancho Cordova</a> has participated in fundraising to benefit the American Lung Association. Since January, the campus has conducted bake sales, dress-down days and gathered private donations that collected $2,543, including race entry fees, for this worthy cause. SJVC always strives to beat previous year’s goals. This year they handily passed 2013’s total of $2,027.\r\n\r\nThis open-to-the-public event started at 8:00 AM on Saturday and ran until noon. A dozen booths were set up to provide education to the attendees about respiratory disease, prevention and treatments. SJVC’s booth demonstrated CPR and breathing treatments, along with asthma education and awareness.\r\n\r\nAmy Bianco, Dean of Student Services, is also a veteran of previous American Lung Association races. “It was really exciting to see the enthusiasm from the students,” she says. “Every year they try to beat the times from the year before. Some were slower than others, but everyone made it!”\r\n\r\nThis year got personal for Term 2 Respiratory Therapy students Zachary Zoeller and Samuel Cartacai. It seems they made a side bet that whichever of them came in last had to shave his head. Samuel beat Zach by a full two minutes.  Zach is a lot easier to spot on campus these days.\r\n\r\nAmy cites the many reasons why the Rancho Cordova campus is so eager to be a part of the “vertical road race”. “We climb for research that will cure lung disease, for those who can’t quit smoking, for lungs that burn from exercise, for asthma education to stop fatal attacks in children, and for laws that improve air quality,” she says.\r\n\r\nIn addition to the shared pleasure of helping <i>Fight for Air Climb </i>reach their fundraising goal, SJVC climbers also enjoyed their vantage point from the top of the Wells Fargo Center.\r\n\r\n“It’s a beautiful view up there,” says Michelle. “We took a few pictures before going back. We took the stairs down, though.”', 'Take the stairs, please', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'take-the-stairs-please', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:05:12', '2014-10-02 18:05:12', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/take-the-stairs-please', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12510, 17, '2014-04-21 10:00:00', '2014-04-21 17:00:00', 'Twenty-one year old Kenzley Velthuis is very happy with the progress she has made at Bed Bath and Beyond in the two years she has worked there. She started out as a cashier, moved to an on-the-floor position and now enjoys an Operations spot that controls what ships in and what ships out.\r\n\r\n[caption id="attachment_2383" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2383 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/IMG_7195b-300x162.jpg" alt="Kenzley Velthuis" width="300" height="162" /> Having experienced troubles with traditional education before, Kenzley Velthuis realized that a different kind of schooling would better fit her work ethic.[/caption]\r\n\r\n“I just fell in love with it,” says Kenzley. “They have asked me how far I want to go with the company, and I know that with a degree I can go much higher.”\r\n\r\nKenzley feels that the <a title="Business Administration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/" target="_blank">Business Administration</a> program at SJVC will give her the training and credential she needs to take her budding career all the way to the top. But before coming to the <a title="SJVC Ontario" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/" target="_blank">Ontario</a> campus she had a couple of missteps within the community college system.\r\n\r\n“I was wasting my time taking classes like history and art that I would never need,” she says. “I was on too many waiting lists; it didn’t make any sense to me.”\r\n\r\nShe took a break from school and became a nanny for Dylan, a 10-year old boy with ADHD. Kenzley may have learned more from him than her formal education could have provided at that time.\r\n\r\n“I helped Dylan realize that he could do it on his own,” says Kenzley. “He could go to school, do his homework, focus better than he realized. I gave him courage and he looked up to me.”\r\n\r\nDylan’s dependency on her helped Kenzley find greater strength in herself.\r\n\r\n“I feel like he taught me to grow up,” says Kenzley. “I was nineteen and had to take care of this little boy and get him from A to B. I couldn’t be an uneducated, unemployed teenager. I had to do something with my life.”\r\n\r\nSome of Kenzley’s old insecurities resurfaced. She had not been a very successful student in high school and was easily bored with its slow pace of class projects and assignments. In contrast, she finds the accelerated BA program to be just what she needs to challenge her quick mind.\r\n\r\n“This program (BA) actually works for me because it keeps me on my toes and my brain working faster,” she says.\r\n\r\nNo one was more surprised than Kenzley to find herself with a 4.0 GPA and voted Student of the Quarter.\r\n\r\n“Kenzley is the President of our Enactus club, volunteers her time on weekends to collect canned foods, and helps create events on campus,” says Lindsay Fotia, Dean of Student Services. “She is in the process of organizing a fashion show on campus.”\r\n\r\nKenzley confesses that she was not sure she was college material. Her thin educational accomplishments in high school left her uncertain about her academic abilities. But it is that very fear that now seems to propel her toward greater accomplishment.\r\n\r\n“I think the fact that I wasn’t a good student in high school makes me want to prove to everyone – and myself – that I am smart,” says Kenzley. “To prove that I could do more than a high school degree; because, at first, I didn’t know if I was going to.”\r\n\r\nGetting back into the rhythm of classes, homework and tests was not an easy thing for her, especially with Kenzley working full-time. At one point she was working nights, getting off at 6:00 AM to be in class at 7:00 AM, and functioning on about five hours of sleep. Somehow she made that schedule work for two long months.\r\n\r\nIn retrospect Kenzley might have done things a little differently.\r\n\r\n“I just really regret having taken those years out of school,” she says. “It’s kind of hard to relearn the basics of study and discipline,” she says.\r\n\r\nKenzley compares going back to school to getting back onto a treadmill that is already in motion.\r\n\r\n“It’s kind of hard to jump back on a moving treadmill once you’ve gotten off,” she says.\r\n\r\nKenzley may have returned to her education later than she likes, but has she also gained some important wisdom that came from her start-and-stop-and-start path.\r\n\r\n“I would tell others to not waste any time and don’t give up,” she says. “If you have trouble with long classes, take the time to find the school that fits you and you’ll be way more happy.”\r\n\r\nKenzley did. And, she is way happy.', 'A little boost up the company ladder for Ontario student', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'a-little-boost-up-the-company-ladder-for-ontario-student', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:04:36', '2014-10-02 18:04:36', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/a-little-boost-up-the-company-ladder-for-ontario-student', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12511, 17, '2014-04-28 10:00:00', '2014-04-28 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2393" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-2393" title="Jeff Ball with his wife Jaime" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/jeff2-300x248.jpg" alt="Jeff Ball with his wife Jaime" width="300" height="248" /> Atfer 17 years of working for Barnes and Noble, Jeff decided to look into a different career, to become trained in something a bit more hands-on, more technical.[/caption]\r\n\r\nYou might not think Jeff Ball is someone you would find in Fresno’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program. He spent 17-years with Barnes and Noble in positions that began with selling books and ended in management.\r\n\r\n“I wore every hat in that building,” he laughs.\r\n\r\nJeff left that long-term association, briefly worked a retail job, and then took a few months off last summer to spend some time with his family-to-be: Jaime, daughters Madeline and Katherine and son Christian. It was a time for new beginnings.\r\n\r\nJeff got married in October and in November he made a decision to go back to school. He did a lot of research to find a career direction that would excite him and provide a stable future for his family. <a title="Aviation Maintenance Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-maintenance-technology/" target="_blank">Aviation maintenance</a> might not have been his first thought for exploration, but the more he checked it out, the more it made perfect sense.\r\n\r\n“I was always the kid who tore things apart,” says Jeff. “I’ve always been fairly mechanical and inclined toward problem-solving. I researched the job market and just went in this direction.”\r\n\r\nHe started the AMT program last November and immediately jumped to the front of the class.\r\n\r\n“Jeff is a high achieving, model student who is always eager to help others,” says Lionel Smith, Airframe instructor at the <a title="SJVC Aviation" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-campus/" target="_blank">Fresno Aviation</a> campus, located at the Fresno Yosemite International airport. “He is an active participant in the Student Council, maintains a solid 4.0 GPA, and he was selected as the Student of the AERO for March.”\r\n\r\nJeff especially likes the balance of classroom study with lots of hangar time.\r\n\r\n“I get to do cool hands-on stuff every day, and work with a great group of guys – and a couple of girls here too,” he says. “This definitely has more of the cool factor. You’re working on planes!”\r\n\r\nOne of Jeff’s favorite projects was when each student had to put together a ‘Buzz Box’. They were given a “bag of parts” to make into an actual electronic working circuit, a task that would take several hours during their spare class time. Jeff was first to finish.\r\n\r\n“It lets out an audible tone when you have everything adjusted correctly,” says Jeff, so it was pretty clear who hit the finish line first. “After I was done doing mine, I had the knowledge to help my fellow students finish and get theirs running.”\r\n\r\nJeff was not sure how demanding his AMT program would be on his life, so he made the decision to not work, but devote his full attention to his studies. Almost six months in, however, he has found that he can complete his program requirements while he is at school. This leaves him free to enjoy his family each day and help his kids with their schoolwork. Jeff feels his family’s support too.\r\n\r\n“It really does help that Jaine and the kids are proud of me for going to school,” says Jeff. “My son came to see the campus and see what I do. Their support helps me stay focused.”\r\n\r\nOne of the primary reasons Jeff was so confident in the success he could achieve from the Aviation Maintenance Tech program, was the versatility of career choices after graduation.\r\n\r\n“What is really nice about our program is you don’t have to work in the aviation industry,” he says. “You can work on vehicles for agriculture picking, hydraulics, escalators and elevators, because the certification is backed up by FAA and carries a lot of weight. You can actually work on roller coasters! Right now I’m really enjoying working on planes,” says Jeff.\r\n\r\nJeff is also appreciative of the job search support he will get at SJVC.\r\n\r\n“Another reason for me to come to SJVC is we’ve got a Job Placement Specialist,” he says. “She has years of networking in this industry, which is a very big help to some of us just stepping into the field.”\r\n\r\nVisions of Boeing, URS, and Blackhawks swirl in his future. SkyWest Airlines has hired several AMT graduates from SJVC’s Aviation campus.\r\n\r\nJeff ponders that possibility. “We’d get to fly for free!”', 'Student likes versatility of Aviation program', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'student-likes-versatility-of-aviation-program', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:04:00', '2014-10-02 18:04:00', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/student-likes-versatility-of-aviation-program', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12512, 17, '2014-04-24 11:00:00', '2014-04-24 18:00:00', 'It was all about the children, as many <a title="SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu" target="_blank">SJVC</a> campuses flew Easter colors, donned a bunny costume or two, and performed services of good will for many families.\r\n\r\n[caption id="attachment_2413" align="alignleft" width="238"]<img class="wp-image-2413 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Picture5b-238x300.jpg" alt="Easter Egg Hunts Afoot" width="238" height="300" /> At several SJVC campuses this last week, festivities were held for students and their families, for kids of all ages.[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe <a title="SJVC Bakersfield" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/bakersfield/" target="_blank">Bakersfield</a> campus welcomed students and their families to an afternoon of food and fun activities on April 17<sup>th</sup> that included a 68 foot obstacle course, tug-of-war competitions, ping pong and an Easter egg hunt that had children of all ages scrambling to find the brightly colored treasures, well hidden by the ASB members who hosted the event.\r\n\r\nThe obstacle course attracted lots of students who were competing to get the fastest completion time.  Congratulations to Riquelmo Reyes for his fleet-footed time of fifteen seconds, as well as to Adrian Andrade who ran a close second, at seventeen seconds.\r\n\r\nBakersfield got into the spirit of Easter a few weeks earlier when their Financial Aid Department collected supplies for and assembled 100 Easter bags for children living at the Bakersfield Rescue Mission.\r\n\r\nNot to be outdone, the <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> campus sponsored their first Easter Egg Hunt for students and their children. With support from ENACTUS and the Pharmacy Tech Club, Student Services was able to host the day for over 70-kids.\r\n\r\n“We wanted to bring the fun to the Visalia campus,” says Elisia Sanchez, Student Resource Coordinator. “Plus, it was a great way for the kids to see first-hand where Mommy or Daddy goes to school.”\r\n\r\nBefore the egg hunt began, the children got to color and dazzle Easter crafts and enjoy a personal meet-and-greet with the Easter Bunny.\r\n\r\nThere were three age groups for each hunt to help younger children face pretty even competition.\r\n\r\n“Because we didn’t want to leave out older kids, we had a movie playing on the big screen TVs in the student lounge for them to enjoy,” says Elisia.\r\n\r\nSome of the Easter egg hunters got a nice surprise when they found eggs with raffle tickets inside. They had great fun claiming their prizes from the raffle ticket booth.\r\n\r\nIn the spirit of Easter, seven students, the Dean of Student Services and Leticia Gutierrez, Administrative Assistant to the Dean on the <a title="SJVC Ontario" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/" target="_blank">Ontario</a> campus volunteered to help assemble care packages for mothers and grandmothers, as part of Feed the Children.\r\n\r\nThe April 16<sup>th</sup> project is part of an effort to encourage SJVC students to participate in community outreach and volunteerism.\r\n\r\nOn March 28<sup>th</sup> SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Antelope Valley" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/" target="_blank">Lancaster</a> campus held their 2<sup>nd</sup> Annual Easter Egg Hunt where staff, faculty, students and their children got to connect and keep the campus’s family atmosphere at the forefront.  Children were able to hunt for eggs and enjoy arts and crafts.\r\n\r\nLots of photos were taken amid squeals of laughter, screams of delight and mouths full of food.', 'SJVC Easter celebrations were eggcellent!', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'sjvc-easter-celebrations-were-eggcellent', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley/', '2014-10-02 11:04:17', '2014-10-02 18:04:17', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-easter-celebrations-were-eggcellent', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(12513, 17, '2014-04-29 10:00:00', '2014-04-29 17:00:00', 'Since his teens, Greg Serrano has found something he needs in the solitary stride of a long-distance runner. That extra something that pushes him, that settles over him as the miles pile up, has served him in all aspects of his life.\r\n\r\n[caption id="attachment_2420" align="alignleft" width="229"]<img class="wp-image-2420 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee2-229x300.jpg" alt="Greg Serrano" width="229" height="300" /> Greg was a Business Administration student at SJVC Temecula when a position at the school opened up on the eve of graduation. Surely enough, Greg found himself working for the very school he studied at for his first job after graduation.[/caption]\r\n\r\nIt did not start out that way.\r\n\r\n“My cousin, Brenda, got me into cross-country running in high school,” says Greg. “At first I hated it, but I pushed through and it caught fire.”\r\n\r\nA half-dozen or so years later, Greg maintains long-distance training that includes an 8-10 mile run, 4-5 days a week and a weight training schedule that has caused others, among them his late father, Patrick, to call him crazy.\r\n\r\n“When I run I’m reminded of him and we have conversations,” says Greg, who has just started to run competitively. “Every run I do he is always by my side.”\r\n\r\nIt is in that spirit of perseverance and accomplishment that Greg to enroll in SJVC’s <a title="Business Administration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/" target="_blank">Business Administration</a> program at the new <a title="SJVC Temecula" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/temecula/" target="_blank">Temecula</a> campus – and which would make him part of the first graduating class. He had been working part-time at a popular pizza place and knew he had to find that runner’s push to pull away from the crowd and continue his education.\r\n\r\nOne of his main heroes is his uncle Tony who earned his Master’s Degree and is now a college instructor.\r\n\r\n“He has been a great mentor for me,” says Greg. “He talks to me about my future, what I want to do, and he leads me to the right steps.”\r\n\r\nCollege turned out to be a right step for Greg. Everyone at school could see his potential, his ease with others. He was involved in ASB and the Diversity Club. His positive energy touched many lives throughout his time on campus.\r\n\r\nA week before he was to graduate Greg learned about a First Contact position opening up at the Temecula campus’ front desk. Soon after completing the interview process, Greg found himself sitting in a new employee orientation.\r\n\r\n“I was pretty excited to come in for orientation,” says Greg. “And, every day I come to work with a smile that they gave me this opportunity.”\r\n\r\nGreg is a natural for his position at the front desk. Part of his job is to welcome all who come through the doors of the campus, make certain they connect with the right people and make everyone, especially prospective students,  feel at ease and confident about their decision to check out the school.\r\n\r\n“I like to talk with parents who are waiting while their son or daughter is meeting with an Admissions Advisor,” says Greg. “I get to hear their stories about why they want their child to go to school. It motivates me to know that there are still good parents out there encouraging their kids to get on the right track.”\r\n\r\nGreg does all he can to help new students, current students and graduates alike to stick together for everyone’s benefit. He has helped to launch the campus Alumni Association and has hosted alumni events, spoken at graduation and orientations to help students and graduates stay connected.\r\n\r\n“Greg was a leader on campus and is now growing in his level of professionalism, performing his job well and taking on additional tasks,” says Robyn Whiles, Campus Director. “He is an outstanding reflection of an SJVC grad: confident, skilled and professional.”\r\n\r\nGreg’s own personal best is about to demonstrate itself even further.\r\n\r\nHe just competed in his first marathon in March and is on track to run his next half-marathon this July. His goal is to one day break the U.S. half-marathon record of just under an hour.\r\n\r\n“Greg ran in honor of his father, and raised funds through sponsorships, which he donated to another cancer victim battling the disease,” says Whiles.\r\n\r\nWith that strong showing Greg plans to try out for the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio, Brazil. The 2020 Summer Olympics in China would make it a one-two punch for him.\r\n\r\n“I’ll just keep on going and stay motivated,” says Greg, who takes some inspiration from a song’s lyric from Lupe Fiasco’s <em>All Black Everything</em>: ‘You can never know what you could ever be, if you never try, you will never see’.', 'Going the Distance', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'going-the-distance', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:03:44', '2014-10-02 18:03:44', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/going-the-distance', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12514, 17, '2014-05-06 10:00:00', '2014-05-06 17:00:00', 'It is not often that a grateful student or graduate will take the time to sit down and write a note of appreciation to an especially inspiring instructor. It is even more rare for twenty-two of them to take pen in hand - but that is exactly what they did for Michael Stewart, <a title="Criminal Justice: Corrections program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/criminal-justice-corrections/" target="_blank">Criminal Justice Corrections</a> Program Director and instructor at the <a title="SJVC Victor Valley" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/victor-valley/" target="_blank">Hesperia</a> campus.\r\n\r\n[caption id="attachment_2429" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2429 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140311_175546b-300x201.jpg" alt="Michael Stewart" width="300" height="201" /> Caption: (L-R) Ambassador Clyde Rivers, PhD, presents Michael Stewart with The Golden Rule Award in front of his CJC Cadets Class #22.[/caption]\r\n\r\nMichael Stewart was surprised…and awed…at the compliments and gratitude heaped upon him from so many.\r\n\r\n“Wow, I didn’t know they did that,” said Stewart, who admits his paramilitary structured program “is not easy.”\r\n\r\nCJC cadets go through a boot camp style of training that includes marching, uniform inspections and plenty of boot polishing. Michael Stewart makes it clear that there are consequences if a student is not prepared each day and does not meet all physical and dress code requirements.\r\n\r\n“It can be very difficult until you understand the importance of discipline,” he says. “I want you looking good because, in law enforcement, if you look put together, then you can open your mouth and I’ll listen to you.”\r\n\r\nA lot of Mr. Stewart’s students understood the importance of that principle. They are very vocal about how that lesson, and so many others they were given, made them better at everything else they undertook.\r\n\r\nHere are a few excerpts from their notes of appreciation:\r\n\r\nCadet Michael Dennis…“Sir, I would like you to know that with your help I’ve changed for the best and now I am on my way to becoming a man.” Cadet Marlene Bocanegra…“You have pushed me to the point I thought I was ready to give up, then pushed me even harder. I only hope I’ve made you proud in all I’ve done here.” Cadet Bryan Miramontes… “Mr. Stewart has helped me by seeing the leader in me. My mind is more disciplined and my body is more conditioned.” Cadet Marco Diaz…“When I came here I was weak, lazy, stubborn and only thought of me. He (Stewart) made me a better person and a stronger person. No other teacher I had changed my bad habits; he did it in 3 months.”\r\n\r\nStewart describes his teaching style as fair, firm and consistent. “If those three things are in order, things become very easy,” he says.\r\n\r\nMichael Stewart knows something about the accolades that follow a giving nature. He was recently the honored recipient of The Golden Rule International Award for his humanitarian work in the community. The award was presented to Mr. Stewart by Dr. Clyde Rivers, representative to the United Nations at Interfaith Peace-Building Initiative and the Honorable Ambassador at Republic of Burundi, Africa.\r\n\r\nThis organization seeks out top achievers who live the Golden Rule, “Treat others the way you want to be treated”, in their everyday life. The award is now established in 120 nations.\r\n\r\nMichael Stewart has spent much of his life coaching – and inspiring – youth. He was an intervention liaison in the Hesperia school district’s 20 schools, working with students who had discipline issues, were in gangs or homeless. He was the Head Coach for the Victorville College women’s basketball team for seven years.\r\n\r\nMichael Stewart comes from a long line of educators. “There are tons of teachers and coaches in my family,” says Stewart, who comes from a military background. “I want to instill that military discipline n others because it instills good character and good morals.”\r\n\r\nMichael and his wife Andrea have three children, Richard, Shanice and Danielle, who are all in college, and have undoubtedly benefitted from parents attuned to the needs and struggles of today’s youth. Michael credits his mom and dad, Carrie and Michael, with much of his philosophy – and success.\r\n\r\n“When good things happen, Mom says, ‘That’s what happens when you work hard,’” Michael laughs.\r\n\r\nMichael plants those same kinds of seeds in his students that not only benefit their academic and personal lives, but position them better for employment opportunities.\r\n\r\n“With a strong work ethic things become a lot easier,” says Stewart. “You are more hirable on the outside because an employer’s perception of you widens a little bit.”\r\n\r\nHe drives this point home with something he hangs in his office and writes on every classroom board: “If it is important to you, you will find a way; if not, you will find an excuse”.\r\n\r\nMichael Stewart inspires a lot of those around him to <em>find a way</em>.', 'Stand at attention', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'stand-at-attention', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:03:00', '2014-10-02 18:03:00', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/stand-at-attention', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12515, 17, '2014-05-02 10:00:00', '2014-05-02 17:00:00', 'A dozen <a title="SJVC Bakersfield" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/bakersfield/" target="_blank">SJVC Bakersfield</a> students of the <a title="Medical Office program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-office/" target="_blank">Health Care Insurance Specialist/Medical Office</a> programs were invited to tour the Hall Ambulance Facility in Bakersfield recently. Business instructor, Michael Rugnao, arranged the field trip for his Medical Office Principles class, and Career Services Advisor, Stephanie Rubio attended, as well.\r\n\r\n[caption id="attachment_2438" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2438 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Halldispatch2-300x141.jpg" alt="VIP Tour" width="300" height="141" /> Students tour the Hall Ambulance Facility in Bakersfield.[/caption]\r\n\r\n“This was the first time Hall Ambulance has opened their doors for students to tour,” says Mr. Rugnao. “They seemed to be as excited as we were!”\r\n\r\nHall Ambulance, owned by Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall, has been an extern site and has hired many SJVC graduates over the years in various positions from EMTs to medical billing specialists.\r\n\r\n“We have an outstanding relationship with Hall Ambulance,” says Rugnao. “They value our students as externs and, eventually, as employees.”\r\n\r\nThe tour included a roundtable discussion where various supervisors explained their department roles and responsibilities, as well as the qualifications and job responsibilities of their employees.\r\n\r\n“Everyone that spoke was really helpful,” says student Samantha Martinez. “I learned so much and it got me excited for what I am going to get into in a couple of months.”\r\n\r\nTracy Burnside, who has worked for Hall Ambulance since graduating from SJVC’s HCIS program in 2001, talked about her position within the company and how SJVC prepared her for that role. Speakers provided tips on what students should focus on in school to prepare them to work at Hall’s.\r\n\r\n“I have worked with Hall Ambulance for over 13 years now and in all the time I''ve worked with them they have been an exceptional extern site as well as employer to our students/grads,” says Stephanie Rubio. “It always makes me happy to see my graduates at work in their environment.”\r\n\r\nThe tour of the facility included viewing the command/dispatch center – the control center of operations – where the most advanced technology is in full operation.\r\n\r\n“My experience with the Hall Ambulance field trip was very helpful for me now that I will be starting my externship next mod,” says Michelle Sanchez. “It really opened my eyes.”\r\n\r\nThe last stop of the tour was the business office. “We continued to run into former students, now employed by Hall Ambulance,” says Rugnao.\r\n\r\nSJVC students seemed at ease in this environment and were encouraged to see so many of their academic peers in their midst who were well-established in their careers.\r\n\r\n“The experience seemed to encourage them to work even harder in the classroom,” says Mr. Rugnao. “It was invaluable for the students to make the connection from what they are studying in the classroom and how it will be applied in the real world.”\r\n\r\nAnd, Hall Ambulance got a peek at a few of their future employees, no doubt.', 'Hall pass gives students VIP tour', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'hall-pass-gives-students-vip-tour', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/medical-office/', '2014-10-02 11:03:18', '2014-10-02 18:03:18', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/hall-pass-gives-students-vip-tour', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12516, 17, '2014-05-08 10:00:00', '2014-05-08 17:00:00', 'Mark Sandoval was used to being invisible. He had gone to two community colleges and thought he knew the routine pretty well.\r\n\r\n[caption id="attachment_2444" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2444 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/mstk2-300x281.jpg" alt="Mark Sandoval" width="300" height="281" /> Mark was accustomed to hands-off professors, so had gotten used to fending for himself, growing shy in the process. But SJVC''s instructors were not like that, instead working to reach out and help their students. In time, Mark would shed his shyness.[/caption]\r\n\r\n“My previous experience with college is that they treat you like a number,” says Mark. “If you have a problem you just have to figure it out.”\r\n\r\nWhen he enrolled in the <a title="Business Administration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/" target="_blank">Business Administration</a> program at SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Hanford" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/hanford/" target="_blank">Hanford</a> campus, he was about to find out that instructors there were a different breed, and their teaching style was a lot more collaborative. Still, old habits die hard.\r\n\r\n“I was leery, in my own shell and didn’t want to talk with anybody,” he says. “It took me a long time to open up.”\r\n\r\nRaul Ponce, Mark’s B.A. instructor, slowly drew him out. “Initially, Mark would always do his work by himself and rarely asked questions,” says Mr. Ponce. “After several months Mark began opening up to me and his classmates, came out of his shell and became quite the presenter,” he says.\r\n\r\nMr. Ponce worked with Mark to bring out his artistic side and helped him to discover, not only his talent for making computer videos, but graphic design and website construction.  Mark’s emerging talents gave him more confidence, and he began to share his skills and help other students with projects.\r\n\r\n“It was awesome that he encouraged me to do that; and Mr. Ponce told me about graphic design in the business world,” says Mark. “It made me want to be more involved and do more things.”\r\n\r\nAlthough Mark was originally interested in enrolling in a computer program, he decided that a Business Administration degree would open more doors for him in the business world. At 28 years old, he had spent a few years in retail sales, swimming pool service (“I kept a lot of people from blowing up their pools with too much chlorine.”) and fixing game consoles.\r\n\r\nIt was his sister, Monique, who persuaded him to try college again. She was interested in the <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a> program at SJVC and dragged Mark along to explore his career possibilities. They both enrolled that day.\r\n\r\nMark had two very good reasons to make that commitment to get his degree.\r\n\r\n“My motivation was to better myself by getting a degree and to help take care of my parents.” It doesn’t stop there. “I want to be the first person in my family to get a PhD,” he says.\r\n\r\nMark will start on that path by focusing on a career in accounting. “I really like accounting,” he says. “I like the idea of problem-solving and with accounting, if there’s a problem, you can figure it out.”\r\n\r\nThis has been a year of discovery for Mark. Not only has he discovered unknown talents, a new direction for himself and eased out of his solitary mode, he has realized he likes interacting with people.\r\n\r\n“We did a lot of group work and had to sit next to different people all the time,” says Mark. “I came to like it for the fact that there was no one to judge me; they all were there for the same thing.”\r\n\r\nIt all came together for Mark when he and Monique walked across the stage at graduation this January. They had both excelled in their programs and were recognized for their achievements.\r\n\r\n“We were up on the stage together and it was awesome,” says Mark. “It was a great night for our family and our parents were very proud, very happy.”\r\n\r\nMark’s new goal is to one day walk in the shoes of his favorite teacher, Mr. Ponce. “If I could learn how to be successful in the business world, then I can teach others how to become successful,” says Mark. “I would do it the way Mr. Ponce does it; interact with students, get to know them. He got me out of my shell.”\r\n\r\nMark is already an example of his first point of instruction:\r\n\r\n“To be successful: 1) Have a great education, 2) Be open-minded to ideas and opportunities to invest in yourself.”\r\n\r\nThe rest will come naturally.', 'Shy guy turns it up', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'shy-guy-turns-it-up', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/', '2014-10-02 11:02:38', '2014-10-02 18:02:38', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/shy-guy-turns-it-up', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12517, 17, '2014-05-15 10:00:00', '2014-05-15 17:00:00', '“Growing up I was called ‘stupid’, even by my family,” says Debra White, who recently graduated from the <a title="Medical Office program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-office/" target="_blank">Medical Office</a> certificate program in <a title="SJVC Hanford" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/hanford/" target="_blank">Hanford</a>. “Family was very difficult, and it affected me in my early life.”\r\n\r\n[caption id="attachment_2457" align="alignleft" width="284"]<img class="wp-image-2457 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/l2-284x300.jpg" alt="Debra White" width="284" height="300" /> After an insufficiently supportive family life in her youth, Debra made it her mission to prove the naysayers wrong, to prove her intelligence and self-worth. There would be trials along the way, but Debra was not one to give up.[/caption]\r\n\r\nHigh school was a little easier for Debra, and she found herself making mostly As and Bs in her classes. But, her self-worth still heard the echo of those hurtful words. She became pregnant at 17, and gave birth to Betsy three months before she graduated.\r\n\r\nThe chapters of Debra’s life began to flip forward and she found herself married to Danny, a Navy man, living in a series of Navy bases, adding two more children to their family, and making a little extra money cleaning houses on the bases at which they were stationed.\r\n\r\nAfter six years Debra and Danny divorced and Debra moved back to her hometown of Lemoore. It was twenty years later that she and Danny reconnected and decided to remarry. All was well until October, 2012 when Danny lost his job. His Navy pension was not enough to live on, so Debra did the thing she thought she would never have to do: go back to school.\r\n\r\nThough the financial stress weighed heavily, Debra was also a little excited. “I really wanted to get into medical coding; that was the ultimate job I wanted,” she says.\r\n\r\nStill, those old whispers of inadequacy persisted. Could she find it in herself to get through it; to do well?\r\n\r\n“I was so nervous about taking my first final in my first mod – and it was an algebra class!” says Debra, who had a troubled history with anything mathematical. “Mr. Atchley called us up there one by one, and he told me I got a B. I was so excited about that.”\r\n\r\nShe never slowed down after that. Throughout her Medical Office program Debra excelled, ending up with a 3.89 GPA and perfect attendance.\r\n\r\nInstructor Patricia Bishop sums up Debra’s efforts: “Debra was hardworking, helpful and determined. She faced numerous challenges while attending SJVC. Her family was experiencing some real struggles, but she made sure to have her work done. She always remained poised and professional, and was an excellent role model for the other students.”\r\n\r\nAt the start of Debra’s externship tragedy struck. Danny was rushed to the ER with complications from a stomach ulcer. “He almost died on the operating table,” says Debra. “He was in an induced coma, then ICU before he finally came home.”\r\n\r\nDebra took a month leave of absence from her MO program to be home with Danny during his initial crisis and recovery.\r\n\r\nA few weeks later, at age 59, Debra finally made that long walk across the stage at graduation.  She wore the special colors of achievement, a Perfect Attendance pin and heard words of praise from her favorite teacher, Mrs. Bishop.\r\n\r\n“Danny (video) recorded my walk across the stage and her speech,” says Debra. “I felt pretty special and proud of myself. It was the financial need and to prove to my family that I wasn’t stupid that inspired me to keep going.”\r\n\r\nDebra’s two sisters and her two best friends, Jan and Teresa, also attended her graduation. “My sisters have said that they are very proud of me for accomplishing this.”\r\n\r\nTeresa, also a MO student, was often Debra’s study buddy. “We were support for each other, and I thank her for that. We used to tease each other and she’d say that when I finished school first, that half of her brain wouldn’t be there with her at school,” Debra laughs.\r\n\r\nA few weeks have passed since that momentous occasion and Debra is working hard at finding the right job. “I am looking online and apply for different types of jobs,” she says. “Career Services send out my resume too and are helping a lot.”\r\n\r\nDebra is not a sit-and-wait kind of person.\r\n\r\n“I’m thinking about going to my extern site and volunteering to help them with their records piling up,” she says.\r\n\r\nNow that’s a very intelligent move.', 'Graduate overcomes childhood names', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'graduate-overcomes-childhood-names', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:02:21', '2014-10-02 18:02:21', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/graduate-overcomes-childhood-names', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12518, 17, '2014-05-22 10:00:00', '2014-05-22 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2460" align="alignleft" width="227"]<img class="wp-image-2460 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/284859783b-227x300.jpg" alt="Jasmine Murguia" width="227" height="300" /> When the community college Jasmine had been enrolled at for more than three years canceled the classes she needed for her degree, she didn''t know what to do. But her uncle just so happened to work at SJVC Visalia...[/caption]\r\n\r\nWhen Jasmine Murguia was a young girl and first got braces on her teeth, she knew the importance of a nice smile. But, it was not until she was crossing the campus of a local community college and spontaneously gave a big smile to a girl as she passed that she found out what that single moment of friendly expression could mean.\r\n\r\n“The next day she came up to me and told me she had been thinking of ending her life and that smiling at her changed everything,” says Jasmine. “She was important to me too, because it made me think that a nice smile helps everybody.”\r\n\r\nJasmine had been teetering between getting a degree in Dance or Dental Assisting, and that moment solidified her dental assisting career path.\r\n\r\nTime passed slowly as Jasmine strove to complete the necessary DA classes at community college. Then, 3-1/2 years in, the classes she needed to complete her program were cancelled. It was recommended that she complete her studies by taking the necessary classes at Fresno City College.\r\n\r\n“I live in Tulare, so that was a horrible idea,” says Jasmine. “I don’t know why they would suggest that.”\r\n\r\nShe was doing a little venting on Facebook when her Uncle Leonard, who works in Career Services at the <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">SJVC Visalia</a> campus, posted that she should come see him the following day. She did and Leonard introduced her to Amy, an Admissions Representative there.\r\n\r\nJasmine enrolled in the <a title="Dental Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-assistant/" target="_blank">Dental Assisting</a> certificate program that day – and her mom, Christina Zarate enrolled in the Medical Assisting AS degree program at the same time! They were excited that, even though Jasmine would complete her program earlier, they would share the same graduation stage.\r\n\r\nSJVC’s DA program was a perfect fit for Jasmine, who especially liked the fast pace.\r\n\r\n“Every 5-weeks we had a new class, like Orthodonics; and we got to go to different offices for observations of surgery on patients, like laser surgery where they cut the gums open,” says Jasmine. “I didn’t know we’d get to do all of those things.”\r\n\r\nJasmine’s life as a student was not without hardship. She had a serious bout with kidney stones that put her in the hospital for a day. She was determined to get back to class as soon as possible.\r\n\r\n“This happened during finals week, but I only missed one day,” she says. “I made it through finals in pain and on medication. But, I missed my perfect attendance.”\r\n\r\nThroughout her DA program Jasmine was working full-time for a pool service company. Fortunately pool service has a seasonal slow-down. “During the winter when it was so cold, I could do homework while at work,” she says.\r\n\r\nHer determination served the 22-year old very well. Jasmine maintained a 3.66 GPA and still made time for the Dental Assisting Club, for which she was President, and Event Coordinator responsibilities for ASB.\r\n\r\n“Jasmine works hard, never gives up, and is a team player,” says DA Program Director and instructor, Claudia Saucedo. “She is very professional in how she speaks and represents herself.”\r\n\r\nWhen things got tough she would go to a student orientation and lift herself up by encouraging others. Graduation ceremonies reminded her why she was there.\r\n\r\n“I went to one of the graduation ceremonies and heard an Honor Roll graduate talk about how he worked full-time, picked up his kids from school then went to school at night,” says Jasmine. I had support and could complete my program without a lot of worries and stress. Everybody has some, but he showed me there’s no excuse; and he inspired me to finish my last month of school.”\r\n\r\nJasmine did finish her DA program. She feels a lot of pride in that accomplishment. Now she is looking for that perfect job that will allow her to help others – especially kids – improve their dental health and appearance.\r\n\r\n“A lot of people are self-conscious about their smile,” she says. “And, I know it’s not a complete help for people.”\r\n\r\nBut, Jasmine knows first-hand that the confidence of a friendly smile can change lives.', 'Smile Power is the new Flower Power', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'smile-power-is-the-new-flower-power', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/', '2014-10-02 11:02:06', '2014-10-02 18:02:06', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/smile-power-is-the-new-flower-power', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12519, 17, '2014-05-23 10:00:00', '2014-05-23 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2476" align="alignleft" width="220"]<a href="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image6b.jpg"><img class="wp-image-2476 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/image6b-220x300.jpg" alt="One Day Without Shoes" width="220" height="300" /></a> We often take the shoes on our feet for granted, but for many shoes are a distant luxury they cannot afford. To raise awareness, see what students and staff of SJVC Ontario did.[/caption]\r\n\r\nHow long has it been since you have gone barefoot for most of the day? Going to the pool or beach, or lounging outside or inside your house doesn’t count. When have you gone without shoes while you are out running errands, attending class, clothes shopping or attending an event. Maybe never, right?\r\n\r\nOn April 29<sup>th</sup> the <a title="SJVC Ontario" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/" target="_blank">Ontario</a> campus’ Diversity Club, along with other student, staff and faculty volunteers, kicked off their shoes for the whole day in support of TOM’s shoes’ <em>One Day Without Shoes</em> campaign, which aims to bring awareness about the effects of being without shoes. TOMs works in partnership with over 100 companies worldwide, including <em>Help the Children</em>, an International Christian Organization, and <a title="SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu" target="_blank">SJVC</a>’s liaison for this event for the past three years.\r\n\r\nIn the eight years since TOM’s owner, Blake Mycoskie, first introduced this campaign, TOMs has donated over 10 million pair of shoes in over 50 countries – including the U.S.\r\n\r\nThe Ontario campus gets involved each year in this important event for two reasons: “We spent the whole day shoeless to raise awareness for the millions of children throughout the world that go without protection for their feet,” says Erin Schlanger, Library and Learning Resource Coordinator and Diversity Club leader. “We got students out of their comfort zone and let them experience what is going on around the world – and even in their own backyard.”\r\n\r\nShoeless children run a high risk of foot diseases that gain entry through cuts that, left unattended, can maim, cripple or even take the lives of those affected. Medical attention is as scarce as shoes in many underdeveloped areas.\r\n\r\nA major concern is podoconiosis, also known as elephantitus, which affects the lymph nodes and glands in the lower legs. As the disease advances the leg begins to swell and grow into heavy, grotesque shapes. Young victims risk losing all or part of the affected limb. Podo, as it is called, affects over four million people in over fifteen countries.\r\n\r\nEducation plays a large part in the prevention or reduction of infection and diseases caused by exposed and unprotected feet. But, awareness alone is not enough of a safe-guard; shoes are the greatest prevention. “Shoes for Health” is a stance TOMs intends to take across the globe.\r\n\r\nThe Ontario campus got lots of support materials to help promote this campaign in the form of TOM’s Toolkit. “We made posters and fliers to announce the event and emailed instructors to ask for help promoting it,” says Erin. “We raffled off t-shirts, stickers and TOM’s discount cards for everyone who participated.”\r\n\r\nThe campus had a great turnout, with lots of students excited to help the event to be both educational and successful. Students traced outlines of their feet onto butcher paper and wrote messages to children in other parts of the world, telling them why they went shoeless that day. Their words of caution and encouragement would find their way to children who needed to know that others care and were helping to provide the protection shoes would give them.\r\n\r\n“Experience is the most valuable realization,” says Administrative Health Care Management student and Diversity Club member, Adilene Otero Gutierrez. “Walking without shoes allows you to walk in someone else’s metaphorical shoes.”\r\n\r\nMost campus participants did not realize how awkward it would feel to be out in public without shoes – and how painful mobility without that thin veneer of protection might be.\r\n\r\n“It made me more aware of what’s on the ground around me and what it means to my body to walk without shoes,” says Erin. “Those raised yellow things near handicapped spots; those hurt to walk on! The acorn caps and wooden mulch, I thought ‘this is insane’.” Slow and cautious steps became essential.\r\n\r\nThere was at least one other benefit to walking around barefoot all day; a heightened sense of the need for cleanliness.\r\n\r\n“Cigarette butts, broken glass…any trash; or going into the bathroom definitely makes you think twice about people who will be using the facility next, as well as those who came before you,” says Erin. “It gave me a new level of respect for what is around me, and cleanliness took on a whole new definition.”\r\n\r\nTOM’s <em>One Day Without Shoes</em> would like for everyone to “Experience a path that millions of children walk every day”. “It all starts with a single step”, they say. SJVC’s Ontario campus will take that step again next year, and the next, until all children have a better understanding about the importance of shoes and, hopefully, the pair of shoes they need for a healthier life.', 'One Day Without Shoes – Could you do it?', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'one-day-without-shoes-could-you-do-it', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:01:48', '2014-10-02 18:01:48', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/one-day-without-shoes-could-you-do-it', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12520, 17, '2014-05-28 10:00:00', '2014-05-28 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2481" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2481 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/IMG_0031b2-300x165.jpg" alt="Aviation Campus Graduation" width="300" height="165" /> For the first time in the twenty or so years since the SJVC Aviation Campus has existed, it hosted its own graduation ceremony, separate from the Fresno campus.[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor its more than twenty years in existence, the <a title="SJVC Aviation" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-campus/" target="_blank">Aviation campus</a> has shared the Fresno Campus’s graduation stage twice each year. For many years the number of graduates from the <a title="Aviation Maintenance Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-maintenance-technology/" target="_blank">Aviation Maintenance Technology</a> program did not justify holding an independent ceremony. This month, Aviation Campus Director, Jack Macfarlane decided it was time to break away from that campus-shared event and conduct the Aviation campus’ own graduation exercise.\r\n\r\n“I think that it was the right time,” says Mr. Macfarlane. “We’ve grown, and we have the space – lots of room to have it here in the hangar. It is also great exposure for family members and friends who might have an interest in our program to have the chance to see us.”\r\n\r\nThe 90-minute ceremony was attended by around 100 guests gathered to celebrate their graduate’s achievements. Speakers included Erik Newlander, Site Supervisor for URS Aviation Support, who spoke of SJVC’s program growth and very motivationally about the increasing need for highly trained aviation technicians.\r\n\r\nGraduate Michael McGee, who had previously been on SJVC’s social media’s <em>Student Spotlight</em>, addressed his fellow graduates with the confidence gained from successful completion of the AMT program and the spirit of camaraderie they all shared.\r\n\r\n“I am very proud to be a part of this group of mechanics,” Michael told the crowd. “Mr. Macfarlane: this is his shop, and he runs it well, with the help of his amazing crew.”\r\n\r\nMichael made note of the fact that five AMT students had already tested for and earned the coveted A&amp;P licensure before graduation:\r\n\r\n<strong>Airframe Licensure</strong>                                                    <strong>Powerplant Licensure</strong>\r\n\r\nJerry Napoli                                                                 Trayvionne Jackson\r\n\r\nJosh Lee                                                                      Leroy James\r\n\r\nMichael McGee\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBoth Leroy James and Michael McGee are scheduled to take their Airframe exams, as well.\r\n\r\n“Public speaking is not my forte,” Michael offers. “But it was pretty neat, and everything went off without a hitch.”\r\n\r\nBehind the scenes…not so much. “We learned a couple of tricks for next time,” laughs Mr. Macfarlane. “But the crowd didn’t pick up on it, and you keep the show moving along.”\r\n\r\nThe huge hangar on the Aviation campus, which is located at the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport, was well suited for this event. Not only did it make a stunning visual backdrop for the graduation exercise, it provided abundant room for seating and the after-graduation celebration – which definitely conveyed a homey welcome to visitors.\r\n\r\n“So many contributed to the ceremony,” says Macfarlane. “Sue Smilie-Janecek (Director of Research and Development) donated chairs from her church, one of our students let us use his PA system and my wife made a cake with an airplane on it. It all very much had a family feel and wholesome atmosphere.”\r\n\r\nAs the first-time site for AMT graduation, the Aviation campus is also sure to be the first-choice site for all that follow.\r\n\r\n“As the Campus Director, it gave me a great deal of pride, having the ceremony here and that so many people showed up,” says Mr. Macfarlane. “I heard nothing but positive comments, and it was an absolute success.”', 'Aviation hangar makes perfect graduation location', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'aviation-hangar-makes-perfect-graduation-location', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:01:29', '2014-10-02 18:01:29', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-hangar-makes-perfect-graduation-location', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12521, 17, '2014-06-03 10:00:00', '2014-06-03 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2490" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2490 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/el-salvador-photo2-300x246.jpg" alt="Nancy Spruit" width="300" height="246" /> After working at SJVC long enough to get the number of vacation says she needed, Nancy immediately departed for El Salvador, using her dental knowledge to provide services.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<a title="SJVC Fresno" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/" target="_blank">Fresno</a> campus DA instructor, Nancy Spruit, wanted for several years to travel to a remote area with the International Christian Organization, <em>Help the Children</em>, to provide dental care to those in dire need. But she had to wait until she had worked at SJVC long enough to get that extra 5-days of vacation in order to make the commitment.\r\n\r\nThis March Nancy joined nine SoCal dentists and 15-third year dental students from UCLA to fly to El Salvador, where they set up a temporary dental office inside a church in the city of San Salvador.\r\n\r\n“They took all of the chairs out and we brought in portable dental units, a portable digital x-ray machine, sterilizer and enough supplies and equipment to provide all the normal services in a dental office,” says Nancy. “We did cleanings, extractions, fillings – both composite and amalgam – and even had one chair for root canals.”\r\n\r\nThe week-long service was hosted by the town’s local church, whose clergy notified the community the dental team was coming. Lines started forming early each morning and dental services were performed on a first-come, first-serve basis.\r\n\r\nAlthough many of the patients were in their 30s, ages ranged from 3-years old to the very elderly.\r\n\r\n“We did for each of them what was most important,” says Nancy. “We couldn’t restore their entire mouths because we needed to make sure that the majority of patients were seen. And, they could come back the next day and wait in line again for additional work.”\r\n\r\nAbout half-way through the week the local media came out to film the humanitarian effort underway for their news channel. “After that, we had a lot more – many more than we could see every day,” says Nancy.\r\n\r\nSometimes families would sit outside in the shade all day, waiting for their turn. That ‘wait time’ turned out to be one of the most important aspects of this humanitarian effort, as the church’s clergy would take that opportunity to invite each person to their nightly church services. Many patients returned each evening to receive the church’s message and blessing.\r\n\r\nAt least half of the <em>Help the Children</em> dental team had participated in these dental care missions in previous years. Those students who were first-timers were excited to get to work on ‘live’ subjects, as that experience does not usually occur in their training to become dentists until the fourth year.\r\n\r\nNancy was the only <a title="Dental Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-assistant/" target="_blank">Dental Assistant</a> on the team and she found herself training a local volunteer who spoke no English, to use the sterilizer.\r\n\r\n“I teach dental students how to use the machine, and here I am teaching without using words,” laughs Nancy. “It was interesting to work side-by-side with people and not even know their language.”\r\n\r\nThe hospitality of the church and the community was humbling. “The people in the church made themselves completely available to us,” says Nancy. “Ladies were making lunch for us all morning, and the last day they made us lunch and dinner. They had jobs and gave up their jobs to serve us.”\r\n\r\nIt was calculated that the dental team provided $113,000 in dental services to 235 people during their four days in El Salvador.\r\n\r\nEveryone was so enthusiastic about the success of the mission. “All five student first-timers said they would come back after they graduate,” says Nancy.\r\n\r\nAs a first-time participant too, Nancy had her own unexpected realizations.\r\n\r\n“My biggest takeaway was, I thought we were going to do dental treatment, and that was their biggest need,” she says. “These people had a spiritual need as well and I am happy to know that there was going to be a follow-up for that need in the church setting.”\r\n\r\nNancy felt a fusion of the team’s humanitarian services with the church’s spiritual mission.\r\n\r\n“People in line had a spiritual experience, as well,” she says. “Several dental students made a commitment to their faith. It was bigger than a dental mission for me.”\r\n\r\nNancy is counting herself among those who are determined to make a return trip. “I would love to go back and hope I am able to.”\r\n\r\nIf you are interested in volunteering for this organization see <em>ways to help</em> on their website: <strong>www.helpthechildren.org</strong>.', 'SJVC Dental Assistant instructor hears the call to help', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'sjvc-dental-assistant-instructor-hears-the-call-to-help', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/', '2014-10-02 11:00:10', '2014-10-02 18:00:10', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-dental-assistant-instructor-hears-the-call-to-help', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(12522, 17, '2014-06-02 10:00:00', '2014-06-02 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2494" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2494 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Picture-005b-300x210.jpg" alt="CAMA Student Joanne" width="300" height="210" /> Joanne leaves her old life far behind, as she completes her Online CAMA program.[/caption]\r\n\r\n“I am here to testify that God is still in the delivery business,” says <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> CAMA student Joanne. And, she will tell anyone who will listen that when you are ready, really ready, God will give you the strength to follow a new path.\r\n\r\nThe path Joanne had been on for twenty years was one of pain and misery. “Cocaine is a hard thing to get off of, and I want people to know that they can get off it if they really want to be delivered,” she says. “I credit the Lord and give him all the praise, honor and glory. If it wasn’t for Him I would not have been able to do it.”\r\n\r\nNo one in Joanne’s life had much hope. Too many declarations of change had failed.\r\n\r\n“It was bad,” she reflects. “I was at the lowest point. Went to jail 18-times, prison twice, jumping in and out of cars, selling my body. But, I think the Lord knows when you’re ready in your heart.”\r\n\r\nFinally paroled, Joanne moved far from home and was living in a women’s shelter when she and about a dozen other women also living there started attending services at the Temple of Christ Church in Charlotte, NC through the church’s ministry outreach program.\r\n\r\n“The church took me in and gave me a lot of love and encouragement, all the incentive I needed to be the best that I could be and live a Christian life.”\r\n\r\nOver the last four years Joanne has found her truest self and a life of service. She is very involved in her church as a Youth Director, Sunday School Superintendent and usher. Joanne’s life also found steadier ground when, at about that same time, she went to work for an extended stay hotel. Reflecting her newfound need for more order in her life, Joanne started out as a housekeeper. Ninety days later she was promoted to Head Housekeeper and 90-days after that she was promoted to Executive Housekeeper, where she still works training and supervising cleaning staff, inspecting their work, writing daily action plans and ordering supplies.\r\n\r\nJoanne enjoys her work, but remembers her earlier years working as a nursing assistant and how much it meant to her to care for the needs of others. “The medical field was always my dream because I like helping people and have a compassion for them,” she says.\r\n\r\nJoanne’s daughter, Danielle, had just started SJVC’s <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting</a> online program, so Joanne thought she might give it a try too. The problem: she had not been in a classroom in almost thirty years, so her confidence was thin. Her son, Terrence, gives her phone calls of support along the way.\r\n\r\n“I was a little skeptical because it had been so long since I was out of school and I was working full-time,” she says. “But I was determined and came straight home from work and dug into the books.”\r\n\r\nJoanne pushed through and finished her first module with a 4.0 GPA.\r\n\r\nOnline classes were perfect for Joanne. “I like going to discussion forums with students in different parts of the country, hearing what they have to say, and I like having them respond to my posts,” she says.\r\n\r\n“She’s a great person, a hardworking student, and I look forward to our tutoring sessions,” says Pamela Soto Gonzalez, Student Advisor. “She’s not afraid to ask for help, and her academic discipline is perfect for Online.”\r\n\r\nJoanne is already looking around the corner of this new path toward a career as a Registered Nurse. “Now that I know I have the drive and can do it, I might as well keep on going,” she says.\r\n\r\nGraduation from her CAMA program will be the second celebration of her new life. Last year Joanne was baptized in her church, where family and friends came from her hometown to celebrate her spiritual commitment.\r\n\r\n“Aunts, cousins, sister, children, mother – people I grew up with in the neighborhood; they all came to hear my testimony,” says Joanne. “They knew I’d been on drugs for years and they were amazed that God had delivered me.”\r\n\r\nThe life Joanne used to have is a far distant picture she can barely bring into focus. “I am so relieved and thankful that He has delivered me,” says Joanne. It’s not painful, and I’m not ashamed. I am not boastful. I’m just grateful for the people that God has placed in my life to help me get to where I am now.”', 'A Changed Life', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'mom-inspires-daughter-toward-higher-education', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:00:28', '2014-10-02 18:00:28', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/mom-inspires-daughter-toward-higher-education', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12523, 17, '2014-06-09 10:00:00', '2014-06-09 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2802" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2802 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Jessica-Lourido2-300x274.jpg" alt="Jessica Lourido" width="300" height="274" /> Jessica follows her passion with a career in a busy medical office.[/caption]\r\n\r\nJessica Lourido has never been a slacker when it comes to her work ethic. Although only twenty years old, she worked full-time at Starbucks for three years, while she finished up her last year of high school online, gave cosmetology school a 5-month trial run and took a few medical classes.\r\n\r\nBut the more Jessica watched her mom, Dianna, the more she knew she needed to up her game when it came to her commitment to education. Dianna was Jessica’s inspiration to push herself toward a better career.\r\n\r\n“My mom was a late starter,” says Jessica. “She started college when she was probably thirty-five, got her A.A. and Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and is now about a year in to her Master’s degree. Her interest has always been law; that’s her passion.”\r\n\r\nThose medical classes Jessica had taken convinced her that her passion was medicine. It was time for her to set that career in motion.\r\n\r\n“Just seeing my mom push through school, with three kids at home, all the bills and the household to run – and I didn’t have as much on my shoulders, so I could do this,” says Jessica.\r\n\r\nShe found the opportunity to prepare for the career of her dreams with the <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> Clinical and Administrative <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a> program. It did not take long for Jessica to know it was a perfect fit for her interests and lifestyle. She enrolled and got off to a great start.\r\n\r\n“I was very interested in the reading material and the class discussion forums; learning everything about the body, insurance, anything medical-wise kept me interested to learn more,” says Jessica. “When I was in cosmetology school and learning about haircuts, I was thinking, “OK, this is boring.’”\r\n\r\nStill working full-time at Starbucks, Jessica worked hard to balance the demands of her CAMA program with a crazy work schedule that sometimes had her working from 4:30 AM to after 3:00 PM the next day. On those days all she wanted was to get home and collapse into bed.\r\n\r\nThen, she and fiancé, Jose, decided to move from New York to Florida. Trying to balance a major move with a fast-paced class schedule was almost too much.\r\n\r\n“But between my mom and Jose, telling me to keep going, I did pretty well,” says Jessica. Jose helped out a lot by cooking dinner, washing clothes and whatever else needed to be done.”\r\n\r\nSomeone else stepped up with a lot of encouragement, too. “Alex (Alexandria Nolasco, Student Advisor) was supportive of me, especially at one point when there was too much stress and I just wanted to give up,” says Jessica. “I was failing my classes and thought there was no point in keeping going. But there was no way she was going to let me give up. She definitely made the difference.”\r\n\r\n“We went through countless tutoring appointments where I know she was tired and ready to be done with her program,” says Alexandria. “She never gave up; she kept pushing through. Her journey with SJVC was a true example of how tough times will come, but with hard work and dedication, you can make it to the top.”\r\n\r\nJessica is absolutely on top now. She graduated this past March and is working full-time in the private practice office of an Orthopedic surgeon. She had actually gone to interview for a position with a doctor in the same office, only to find out that job was part-time. As she was leaving the office the Office Manager for the Orthopedic surgeon stopped Jessica to tell her about the full-time position she had open.\r\n\r\nAlmost three months later Jessica is thoroughly enjoying her job, co-workers and patient responsibilities. She sits in the room when the doctor examines and talks with patients, makes notes, and sends orders for any procedures to be performed. “It falls to me to make sure it gets done,” she says.\r\n\r\n“I like helping all the patients that come here who are in a lot of pain,” she says. “I like that the doctor figures out what is wrong and what we can do for them. Helping them makes me happy…and, so far they love me,” she laughs.\r\n\r\nJessica’s plans for the future will not change for a while. “I want to stay here,” she says, acknowledging the effort it has taken to get to this place of expertise and security. But, Jessica knows that, with additional education, she could do even more for patients.\r\n\r\n“This is basically the beginning of the medical field,” she says. “I know if I am happy here I should just keep going to have more experience and learn more things.”\r\n\r\nIt sounds as though the family passion for seeking out your dream career at all costs has successfully passed from mother to daughter.', 'Mom inspires daughter toward higher education', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'mom-inspires-daughter-toward-higher-education-2', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:59:55', '2014-10-02 17:59:55', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/mom-inspires-daughter-toward-higher-education-2', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12524, 14, '2014-05-29 10:00:00', '2014-05-29 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2508" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2508 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/DSC_0992b2-300x204.jpg" alt="Central Valley Book Bank" width="300" height="204" /> The students of the SJVC Aviation Campus contributed 189 books to the cause of ending childhood illiteracy. These books will join the thousands of others collected by United Way of Fresno County.[/caption]\r\n\r\nWhen the United Way of Fresno County needed to raise donations of children’s books for charity, Board of Directors Chair and SJVC employee Susan Smilie-Janecek knew to look no further than the Fresno Aviation campus of San Joaquin Valley College. Surely enough, the students there were more than willing to help.\r\n\r\n“I donated because I felt it was my duty to help ensure that the kids nowadays have the material necessary to succeed in school and move on to bigger and better things,” says AMT student Justin Porter.\r\n\r\nJustin and many of his fellow <a title="Aviation Maintenance Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-maintenance-technology/" target="_blank">Aviation Maintenance</a> students contributed to the respectable array of books provided.\r\n\r\nCaring for the well-being of their community and the success of its youth, the Aviation Maintenance school students managed to donate 189 books to the United Way in only a month’s time, which is respectable considering the <a title="SJVC Aviation" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-campus/" target="_blank">Aviation Campus</a> being one of the smaller SJVC sites.\r\n\r\nSusan’s idea was to create a lighthearted competition between the three different modules. General maintenance, power plant, and airframe students, all of them at different stages of the program, would compete to see who could donate the most books.\r\n\r\nUltimately, the General class won, despite having fewer students than the others. A mere fifteen students donated seventy-five books. No doubt, the promise of a gourmet pizza party for the winning module motivated the students in part.\r\n\r\nThese 189 books will accompany many others at the Central Valley Book Bank, the site where thousands of children’s books are collected by United Way of Fresno County. The organization hopes to collect in total ten thousand books.\r\n\r\n“It’s a lofty goal,” says Susan. “But it’s one that’s attainable.”\r\n\r\nThese books will then be donated to needy children across the county, in hopes to foster child literacy.\r\n\r\n“When kids fall behind early in school, they have a tendency to drop out by high school,” warns Sue.\r\n\r\nTargeting students pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, the program aims to keep kids at their grade’s reading level, which is an important factor in preventing them from falling behind and potentially dropping out of school in their teenage years.\r\n\r\nJune 21<sup>st</sup> will be the United Way of Fresno County’s Day of Action. Among a variety of other charitable projects, that day the books collected and donated across the county will be distributed, including those raised by SJVC’s very own Aviation campus.\r\n\r\nThat day, the thousands of books collected so far will be given to various charitable organizations, schools, youth services program and the like. United Way estimates that a considerable fifty-nine percent of Fresno county children have limited access to books, and sixty-one percent of those families do not have even one book at children’s level. No doubt, the Book Bank will make a dent in that this year. Lots of these kids can finally have a book of their own.\r\n\r\nThe United Way Book Bank is a way for anyone to get involved in their community, since all it takes is the donation of a children’s book or two, new or slightly used.\r\n\r\nSan Joaquin Valley College prides itself on the charitable efforts of its students, who consistently prove themselves to be generous and sympathetic to the needs of their community. No matter how big or small a campus, the students of SJVC are there to donate time and more to noble causes.\r\n\r\nTo learn more about how you can help, whether by donating books or volunteering, visit the United Way of Fresno County’s website at http://unitedwayfresno.org/Central_Valley_Book_Bank.php.', 'Aviation Maintenance Students work to promote child literacy', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'aviation-maintenance-students-work-to-promote-child-literacy', '', '', '2014-10-02 11:00:46', '2014-10-02 18:00:46', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-maintenance-students-work-to-promote-child-literacy', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12525, 17, '2014-06-10 10:00:00', '2014-06-10 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2805 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SAM_0229b-300x298.jpg" alt="Cindy Mills" width="300" height="298" />At one time or another Cindy Mills interacts with just about every person on the <a title="SJVC Ontario" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/" target="_blank">Ontario</a> campus. Staff, faculty, students, vendors and service technicians all go through her to get something they need in order to continue forward.\r\n\r\nAs Day Porter for the Facilities department, Cindy’s responsibilities put her in the direct line of contact for every other department’s needs. Her custodial duties include ordering office supplies, distributing books at orientation, assisting the Facilities Manager with inventory, conducting safety inspections, providing material set-up and break-down for campus events and taking repair service technicians to the areas in need. She opens the campus every morning, ensuring all classrooms and offices are ready for the day.\r\n\r\n“I get to interact with everyone,” says Cindy. “Not just people who work here but students, and vendors who come in to fix things or do things like tent windows. I take them where they need to go and show them what needs to be looked at or fixed.”\r\n\r\nCindy has to be something of an accountant, as she keeps tight records of books and supplies checked out.\r\n\r\n“I do inventory about three times a month, and you don’t want to make a mistake and have to do it again,” she says. “Inventory records need to show what went off your shelf and the final count has to be right on.”\r\n\r\nAnother big part of her job is set-up and break-down of everything needed for an on-campus event. Cindy arranges for food and drinks, tents, tables/chairs, umbrellas, audio needs and hook-ups, trash receptacles – everything needed for a comfortable environment and successful event.\r\n\r\n“Cindy was instrumental in coordinating the move from the Rancho Cucamonga campus and set up of the supply/bookroom and janitorial storage spaces at the Ontario campus,” says Chuck Steinmetz, Facilities Manager. “She arrived early and stayed late throughout this process and always with a smile and a positive attitude.”\r\n\r\nCindy is humble in her response. “I just think I’m doing my job, trying to keep everybody happy.”\r\n\r\nOne of Cindy’s favorite events for which she was responsible for set-up, included seven food trucks, face painting, balloon animals, bounce houses and guided tours of the campus. The evening event attracted about 750 visitors.\r\n\r\n“I started at 6:00 AM and got out at 11:45 PM,” she says, without complaint. “I usually have quite a bit of help on big events.”\r\n\r\nThere is also plenty of shared laughter to go along with the tasks.\r\n\r\n“There were five or six of us trying to get a generator to start,” says Cindy. “The whole event, and music, ran off the generator so people were panicking. I asked an RT teacher walking by if he knew anything about generators and he said it had been years since he used them in Vietnam, but had we turned the switch on. None of us thought about a button.”\r\n\r\nSometimes big winds come through and blow tents and canopies around the parking lot for the crew to chase. Her favorite response to the forces of Murphy’s Law: “It will all be over by tomorrow.”\r\n\r\nCindy has always felt a special attachment to <a title="SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu" target="_blank">SJVC</a> students from beginning to end.\r\n\r\n“I get to see all the faces of students that are coming in as I pass out their books to them, and then I see their faces when they return the books on their last day,” says Cindy. “I see their excitement for when they are going to start their new careers.”\r\n\r\n“Students engage her in conversation, many who share fears, hopes and family secrets,” says Sherril Hein, Campus Director. “Cindy encourages students to attend class, do homework and pass their exams. She lets them know how important they are.”\r\n\r\nCindy just has a way about her that invites trust. “You usually don’t have to say a lot, just listen,” she says. “I feel they wouldn’t say anything unless they needed someone to listen or talk to.”\r\n\r\nCindy’s strong work ethic comes from her dad, Albert. “My dad never missed a day of work, except when it was raining,” she says. “He was in the lumber business, and you can’t do anything when it rains.”\r\n\r\nDependability is a trait that passed from father-to-daughter, and now from Cindy to her daughter, Melissa, who is a nurse and equally hardworking.\r\n\r\nCindy likes to spend her off-hours planting flowers in her garden. She just put in some peonies and colorful Gerbera Daisies. They will grow and change under her vigilance; not unlike all those others blooming under her thoughtful attention on campus.', 'Where everybody knows your name', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'where-everybody-knows-your-name', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/', '2014-10-02 10:59:39', '2014-10-02 17:59:39', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/where-everybody-knows-your-name', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12526, 17, '2014-06-16 10:00:00', '2014-06-16 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2821 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/laureenb-300x180.jpg" alt="Laureen Hurtato" width="300" height="180" />Laureen Hurtado was enjoying the good life. She had a steady job, was making good money running equipment for a production plant near the home she and her wife, Gloria shared. Laureen had been in a community college nursing program for five years, trying to make the best of a lottery system that made getting the classes she needed a waiting game. Life was busy, but manageable.\r\n\r\nThen, their world turned upside down. Laureen and Gloria separated and the next month Laureen lost her job. She moved out of California for four months, picking up janitorial work in a hospital, before coming back and reconciling with Gloria. Meanwhile they lost their house to foreclosure and went into a financial tailspin. As bad as things were, Laureen felt one spot of relief.\r\n\r\n“Nursing was good money, but not something I really liked,” Laureen was surprised to realize. “That whole thing about people being sick; I was depressed the whole time I was working in the hospital.”\r\n\r\nBut Laureen’s natural talent of ‘putting things together and tearing them apart’ did not have a focus. “And there are 500 applicants for every one of those jobs,” she says. “I didn’t have any job skills; I didn’t have a degree, and that’s the first thing people ask you. What can you bring to a company besides just working.”\r\n\r\nShe remembered SJVC’s <a title="Aviation Maintenance Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-maintenance-technology/" target="_blank">Aviation Maintenance Technician</a> program in Fresno and thought that might be what she needed.\r\n\r\n“I figured aviation because anyone can be a car mechanic,” she explains. “I wanted to work on something with more responsibility, more prestige and better for the job market. Not too many people can say, ‘that’s my job, working on planes.’ That’s the thing that did it for me.”\r\n\r\nHer financial situation made going back to school unrealistic, but she made the appointment.\r\n\r\n“Pam, the Financial Aid Advisor, told me about a veteran’s program that would provide job retraining financing, and I was really ecstatic about it,” says Laureen, who was a Marine Corps veteran. She was in!\r\n\r\nHer first days in class were pretty overwhelming, and her first subject was Physics. “I thought, oh my gosh, I’m going to have to learn all of this! I didn’t feel I was going to make it,” says Laureen.\r\n\r\nTwo things helped her push through. Even though they were struggling to live on one income and trying to make a $20 tank of gas last all week, “Gloria supported me and encouraged me.”\r\n\r\nThen, Laureen read a <em>Student Spotlight </em>on a SJVC social media site about a fellow Aviation student, Michael McGee, who was also struggling to hang on.\r\n\r\n“He was like me, an older adult trying to find a good job for his family,” says Laureen. “He was applying for welfare, and I had the Vet Administration to help me out. I read other stories about students who were struggling and made it, and I just had to keep going and give it my best shot.”\r\n\r\nOf all the things Laureen had gone through that kept her down and away from success, she knew her greatest obstacle was…herself.\r\n\r\n“I have to remind myself every day – and I’ve been like this for as long as I remember – <em>It doesn’t count unless you finish</em>,” says Laureen. “I’ve always started something and never finished it. I’m at the point where I can’t do that anymore.”\r\n\r\nLaureen polished off her Marine Corp discipline. She made the Dean’s List and maintains a 3.50 GPA. She inspired her son, Jose, to enroll at the <a title="SJVC Aviation" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-campus/" target="_blank">Aviation campus</a> soon after she did, and they enjoy a spirit of competition that has them constantly bumping each other from the academic top spot.\r\n\r\n“Laureen is an outstanding student and mentor,” says Jack Macfarlane, Aviation Campus Director. “Both Laureen and her son, Jose, are progressing smartly through the program and I have no doubt that they will each contribute to the field of aviation in the near future.”\r\n\r\n“This not just school, it is having my life back,” says Laureen. “I do get excited when I think about the future. The idea of being able to travel and not be stuck somewhere because you don’t know how to do anything else.”\r\n\r\nShe is philosophical about recent struggles. “If all these bad things hadn’t happened to me, I would not be taking things as seriously as I do now.”\r\n\r\nScheduled to graduate in September, Laureen is looking forward to earning her A&amp;P license and a new career in a field that excites her.\r\n\r\n“I just keep thinking that the possibilities are endless,” she says.', 'Aviation student turns crises into opportunity', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'aviation-student-turns-crises-into-opportunity', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-maintenance-technology/', '2014-10-02 10:59:09', '2014-10-02 17:59:09', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-student-turns-crises-into-opportunity', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12527, 17, '2014-06-11 10:00:00', '2014-06-11 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2853" align="alignleft" width="225"]<img class="wp-image-2853 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_45658576497847b-225x300.jpg" alt="Anna Gonzales" width="225" height="300" /> Thyroid cancer survivor Anna with her brother, Angel.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting</a> student Maira Ruiz has known Anna Gonzales since they met in a 7<sup>th</sup> grade Bakersfield classroom; that means 17-years of girl giggles, difficult life experiences and everything in between.\r\n\r\nThe hardest time came when Anna was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2011. Anna underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments and is now, gratefully, cancer-free.\r\n\r\nAnna may be done with cancer, but she is still very much involved in helping others still struggling to conquer this pervasive disease.  Most recently Anna set a goal for herself to raise $800 for the American Cancer Society’s <em>Relay for Life</em>. The local Wasco/Shafter event was held at the Wasco High School football field on April 24<sup>th</sup>. Participants started the race/walk at 8:00 AM and walked, rested, and walked some more all through the night, until the next morning. Booths were set up to educate the public and raise funds for the American Cancer Society.\r\n\r\nAnna invited everyone she knew to participate by joining the race or raising funds to help the cause.\r\n\r\nAnna hoped to raise $800 for her team, A Walk for Beauty.\r\n\r\nMaira could not be there for the race, but she could help Anna reach her fundraising goal.\r\n\r\nAs president of the campus CAMA Club, Maira told the club about her friend, Anna, her struggle with cancer and her need for financial support for her team’s <em>Relay for Life</em>.\r\n\r\n“The club agreed, with excitement on their faces,” says CAMA Club Advisor, Steven Prince, “and the wheels began turning on how to raise the money for such an important cause.”\r\n\r\nThe 25-plus CAMA Club members have a reputation for great food sales at break time on campus, so food sales was a given. They also did dress-down days and gave participating students silicone wristbands with “A Walk for Beauty – Relay for Life’ imprinted in support of the event and Anna’s team.\r\n\r\nIn just one week before the race was to take place, the CAMA Club raised $1,000 for Anna which, combined with $400 she had raised on her own, gave her $600 over her goal.\r\n\r\n“I am so proud of the club for their teamwork and commitment to the club in helping out the community in <a title="SJVC Bakersfield" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/bakersfield/" target="_blank">Bakersfield</a>,” says Mr. Prince.\r\n\r\nMaira was excited to give Anna the good news. “Anna was very grateful – and amazed that we raised that much money in so short of time,” says Maira. “It made us all feel good about helping her and an organization that helps so many others.”\r\n\r\nFriendships have a way of doing that.', 'A friend in need…finds a friend indeed', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'a-friend-in-needfinds-a-friend-indeed', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/bakersfield/', '2014-10-02 10:59:23', '2014-10-02 17:59:23', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/a-friend-in-needfinds-a-friend-indeed', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12528, 17, '2014-06-18 10:00:00', '2014-06-18 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2861 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/20140603_105607b-300x147.jpg" alt="Mike Perry and Dental Hygiene Class" width="300" height="147" />When Mike Perry, SJVC’s co-owner and CEO, drops in on a class, there is usually a hush at his sudden presence and the unexpected interruption of class work. But it does not stay quiet for long. The <a title="SJVC San Diego" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/san-diego/" target="_blank">San Diego</a> campus’ <a title="Dental Hygiene program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/" target="_blank">Dental Hygiene</a> students were surprised at the sight of the top college executive standing in their classroom, three hundred miles away from his corporate office in Visalia.\r\n\r\n“How is it going?” Mr. Perry asks, opening up the floor to some honest interaction. Nods and “good” meet his question. “Are we working you hard?” he follows up. Groans ripple the aisles, as the universal expression of students hard at work.\r\n\r\nThat is what college is all about: working hard to achieve something of value; something that will propel students toward a more successful future. Mike Perry explains. “You are working hard because it’s college. That is why we hang our degrees on the wall – and you will too, because you worked hard for it. Things that come easy to us in life; we don’t usually display them on the wall,” he says.\r\n\r\nA few students jumped in at the opportunity to ask SJVC’s CEO a few questions. This is the part Mike Perry loves. “I’m there to get the real stuff, and the best way to find out how things are going is to walk in there and ask,” he says. “Their responses – and more importantly, the energy of the class – give me a sense of the satisfaction of the students, as well as the rigor of the program.”\r\n\r\n“It’s great that Mr. Perry does that and gives students the opportunity they might not have, otherwise, to meet him,” says Danya Sanchez, Administrative Assistant/Registrar. “The students felt very comfortable talking with him and he seemed to really appreciate their questions and feedback.”\r\n\r\nMany layers of systems and support separate owners and top executive staff from those whose education goals and successes they strive daily to serve. “I feel it is very important to bypass those layers to ask students directly how they are doing in their education,” says Perry. “It gives me a sense of everything from their morale to level of professionalism.”\r\n\r\nHis last question for the junior level DH class: “Are you getting your money’s worth?”  He was rewarded with smiles, nods and a few whoops of affirmation.\r\n\r\n“It was a nice interaction with the students; they were engaging and had good questions,” says Perry. “It made me proud to have them in our institution, and I thanked them for attending SJVC.”\r\n\r\n“The students felt that he created a welcoming presence on campus,” says Danya. “It definitely created quite a buzz.”\r\n\r\nA spontaneous photo-op found lots of smiles all around.', 'Surprise visit a nice break for Dental Hygiene students', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'surprise-visit-a-nice-break-for-dental-hygiene-students', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/san-diego/', '2014-10-02 10:58:52', '2014-10-02 17:58:52', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/surprise-visit-a-nice-break-for-dental-hygiene-students', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12529, 17, '2014-06-24 10:00:00', '2014-06-24 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2893 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Instructor-Shelly-Photo-193x300.jpg" alt="Shelly Sowers" width="193" height="300" />Shelly Sowers does not spend time wondering if the glass is half-empty or half-full. She just knows there will be enough. If you have a dream and are willing to act on realizing that dream, there will always be enough to get you there.\r\n\r\nAs a CMA and CAMA instructor for <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> classes, Shelly tries to impart that important message to all her students.\r\n\r\n“I know they really want this; they want to make their dreams come true,” says Shelly. “I take a student who has a lot of goals, who really know what they want to do, and I can help them get to the level they need to do well in this field.”\r\n\r\nThe first week of her class always begins with a pointed quote from Henry David Thoreau: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”\r\n\r\nShelly knew early on that she was born to teach. Her mom, Sandra, helped her make over their entire garage into a classroom when Shelly was in third grade. “My poodle, Honey Lee, was my only student for awhile,” she says, and was also her star pupil until she put down her chalk at age thirteen.\r\n\r\nShelly was not sure what exactly she wanted to teach until, when she was eighteen, her dad, Wayne, began his struggle with cancer, and succumbed just a few months later. Medicine became the focus of her education.\r\n\r\nAt twenty years old Shelly was working in an urgent care facility when she started school full-time for her Medical Assisting degree. At about the same time, Shelly’s son, Jay, made his appearance into her already busy world.\r\n\r\nHaving Jay intensified Shelly’s determination to secure her education. Immediately after graduating from her MA program and earning her A.S. degree, Shelly enrolled in a Health Services Administration program.\r\n\r\n“I had the clinical side, but needed a stronger administration background,” she says. “That took me six months; then I started a Registered Nursing program a couple of months later.”\r\n\r\nUp to her chin in certifications and degrees, Shelly had been working in the Emergency Room of a local Florida hospital for three months when she was offered a position teaching Medical Assisting for a college close by.\r\n\r\nIn 2010 Shelly joined SJVC’s Online campus as Division Manager for the <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Clinical Medical Assisting</a> program. She now provides online instruction for both CMA and CAMA programs, while she is finishing up a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.\r\n\r\n“My #1 priority is to give students the foundation of the material we are covering, and make sure they have mastered that,” says Shelly.\r\n\r\nShe wants to balance that essential goal with those elements that keep students fully engaged. “Not mechanical, but a human-to-human quality.” She calls it a more holistic approach to teaching.\r\n\r\n“I want students to enjoy what they are learning and, at the same time, have fun with the material,” she says. “I share things that are hot topics in the news, outrageous things that are related to our studies. For example, once sperm fertilizes an egg, the egg actually releases a toxin that says, ‘no more sperm coming in here; closed for business’.”\r\n\r\nShelly gets inspiration for most everything she does from two very important sources. Her mom, Sandra, sets a high bar. “Mom comes from lots of challenges in her own life,” says Shelly. “She overcame poverty and a learning disability, and still to this day, she is the most positive person.”\r\n\r\nBut it is Shelly’s son, Jay, who is truly heroic. At twelve years old and autistic, he has daily challenges of severe social anxieties that cause him to be fearful of crowds and loud noises, and that make him not want to leave the house. Jay is also a gifted and self-taught computer prodigy.\r\n\r\nShelly loves to sing and often sings with Jay to draw him into a world they can share. “There’s a song, <em>When I Look at You</em>, that says, ‘Everybody needs inspiration, and everybody needs a song,’ that we put on karaoke and sing together that definitely lifts me up,” says Shelly.\r\n\r\nHer glass, as full as she needs it to be; Shelly sees heroes everywhere. “Anybody that has things in their life – a single mother going to school, a grandmother fulfilling a dream – those are the people who are heroes to me. Those everyday heroes.”', 'There is always enough', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'there-is-always-enough', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:58:29', '2014-10-02 17:58:29', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/there-is-always-enough', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12530, 17, '2014-06-25 10:00:00', '2014-06-25 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2867 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/20140509_085824b-300x156.jpg" alt="AMTSS Mother''s Day" width="300" height="156" />Members of the American Medical Technologists Student Society (AMTSS) on SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> campus wanted to provide a service to mothers to commemorate Mother’s Day; one that would both help moms in need and provide a learning opportunity for participating <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a> students.\r\n\r\nMA instructor, Sujana De Almeida, suggested they cook lunch for families at Valley Children’s Hospital’s Ronald McDonald House in Madera, and follow that service up with a tour of the hospital. The Ronald McDonald House has 18-bedrooms where families can stay if they have a very sick child being treated at the hospital. Families hosted at the house are only required to perform at least one chore each day during their stay in addition to preparing their own meals.\r\n\r\n“Our AMTSS members were very excited at the idea of helping moms and wanted to share the responsibilities they had (at the Ronald McDonald House) while their children were in the hospital,” says De Almeida, who helped organize the field trip for May 9th.\r\n\r\nNot only did the sixteen AMTSS club students prepare a wonderful spaghetti and salad lunch for fifty people at the House, they also swept, mopped, dusted and cleaned windows before they left.\r\n\r\n“It was such a great feeling seeing everyone pitching in – and all for the opportunity for the families there to be able to spend more time with their child,” says MA student Charles Shelley.\r\n\r\nStudent Yer Vang made a beautifully decorated Mother’s Day card out of a tri-fold board, which was signed by all of the AMTSS club members and given to moms staying at the House.\r\n\r\nJonathan Munoz from the Ronald McDonald House expressed his gratitude in a note to Yer and SJVC’s service club members. “The group members were willing to help around the house in any capacity and it was great to have all their positive energy in our house as well. We left the card up over the Mother Day weekend so our families could read the message,” wrote Jonathan.\r\n\r\nAfter lunch preparation the Club crew went on a tour of Valley Children’s Hospital and got to see first-hand how a hospital devoted to serving children is just a little bit different from the rest.\r\n\r\n“All things there are meant for the children,” says MA student Daniel Jackson. “It’s very relaxing with bright colors of art in the ‘kids point o view,’” he says. “It also made me feel that I am a lucky father who has a healthy daughter and son.”\r\n\r\nSJVC students were impressed with both the Ronald McDonald House and all it provides to parents who must stay close to their very sick child, and the hospital in the way it surrounds and treats the children in need of their specialized medical services.\r\n\r\n“I have to believe that the Ronald McDonald House is just what the parents and families need when they are waiting and wondering about their child’s condition,” says Daniel.\r\n\r\nThe attitudes of hospital staff and technological capabilities were equally impressive. “Just to see modern medicine working right in front of my eyes, knowing people working in this lab are saving lives; I was so inspired and grateful to be there that day,” says Charles.\r\n\r\nSujana De Almeida emphasizes the level of care provided at Valley Children’s Hospital: “Only very ill children are admitted to this hospital,” says De Almeida. “Our students were really inspired by the nursing staff that shared their knowledge with them and have such compassion.”\r\n\r\nMany of the students who left the campus at 8:00 AM that Friday to spend a long day in the service of others, came back more deeply committed to a career in health care – and a life of both professional and personal service.\r\n\r\n“I was able to learn many ways that I could volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House,” says Daniel.\r\n\r\nSometimes the more you give, the more you get.', 'Mother’s Day gift of service fills many hearts', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'mothers-day-gift-of-service-fills-many-hearts', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:58:13', '2014-10-02 17:58:13', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/mothers-day-gift-of-service-fills-many-hearts', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12531, 17, '2014-06-30 10:00:00', '2014-06-30 17:00:00', '<a href="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/jose2.jpg"><img class="alignleft wp-image-2895 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/jose2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>Jose Perez Hurtado never thought much about airplanes. He never had that kid’s dream of flying one or taking one apart. They all kind of looked the same to him and were, so far as he was concerned, just a nice way to get from Point A to Point B.\r\n\r\nJose worked for a company that provided security for special events like concerts and sports competitions – even covering NFL games that let him see the 49ers wow the crowd. Three years ago he joined the National Guard and after a couple of years found himself in Afghanistan for a year providing combat support as a gunner in a mine-resistant, ambush-protected military all-terrain vehicle (M-ATV).\r\n\r\n“I really like helping people and thought helping the country would make me feel better and proud,” says Jose. “I also knew that the veteran’s benefits would help me with school.”\r\n\r\nBack in Fresno last year, twenty-two year old Jose was looking for work with a Sheriff’s Department when his mom, Laureen, suggested he check out SJVC’s <a title="Aviation Maintenance Technology program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-maintenance-technology/" target="_blank">Aviation Maintenance Technology</a> program. She had enrolled just three months earlier and was excited about what she was learning and what kind of a career she could have when she graduated. It took less than a month for Jose to make up his mind.\r\n\r\n“I thought I’d take a chance and learn something new,” says Jose. Good move.\r\n\r\nLots of things in the AMT program were a nice fit for Jose. “I’m amazed that I’m having fun with this at the same time I’m learning,” he says. “Right now we’re working on assembling an aircraft wing and my favorite part is whenever we have something hands-on.” Jose admits to picking up things pretty quickly.\r\n\r\nHe also likes all of the support he gets from teachers and how students help each other out.\r\n\r\n“It’s the way teachers take their time to explain every detail,” says Jose. “Even though courses are really fast-paced, they take the time to make sure every student understands the subject thoroughly before they move on.”\r\n\r\nJose explains how students take care of each other; not just in the classroom and hangar, but as a family might.\r\n\r\n“The whole school is like a family, so they will take time out of their lives to help you out,” he says. “Gas money, food, rides – whatever you need,” someone steps in to help.\r\n\r\nJose talks about a student who had to drive an hour each way every day from Visalia and a fellow student let him sleep on his couch during the week to save on commute time and gas. “We’re all willing to help each other with what you need,” he says.\r\n\r\nJose and his mom have been a big source of support for each other throughout the program. Even though Laureen started the AMT program 4-months before Jose, they occasionally share some classes.\r\n\r\n“Jose represents 50% of an outstanding mother/son team at the <a title="SJVC Aviation" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-campus/" target="_blank">Aviation Maintenance campus</a>,” says Jack Macfarlane, Campus Director.\r\n\r\n“I never thought I’d be going to school with my own mom,” says Jose. “At first I didn’t think it was ‘cool’, but as the days and months went by I realized it wasn’t so bad.” That is not to say that it does not get just a little competitive.\r\n\r\nWe help each other with homework, study together, quiz each other and, of course, we compete against one another,” says Jose. “At the end of the day we still have that strong bond, no matter who may have won the quiz war.”\r\n\r\nJose is a disciplined guy. He and AMT friend, Matt Kitavong, hit the gym every day after school and Saturdays for a 90-minute workout. It is a different story on Sundays.\r\n\r\n“Sundays I just relax, watch movies and eat all day,” Jose laughs. Even then, if he catches sight of a plane overhead, he wonders what type of aircraft it is and about its mechanical and operational components and capacities. His aviation career seeds are firmly planted.\r\n\r\nThe thing that pushes Jose the most to succeed in the AMT program is the independence he will gain with these in-demand skills.\r\n\r\n“I don’t want to stay in Fresno forever,” he says. “I want to go to SoCal, get a career and buy my first house. Airframe and Powerplant mechanics are retiring, so that means more positions and job opportunities are available.”\r\n\r\nJose has big plans for a life he never before imagined.', 'Brand new idea for a new life', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'brand-new-idea-for-a-new-life', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/aviation-maintenance-technology/', '2014-10-27 14:58:31', '2014-10-27 21:58:31', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/brand-new-idea-for-a-new-life', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(12532, 17, '2014-07-02 10:00:00', '2014-07-02 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2901 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sara-4b-300x213.jpg" alt="DH Students with Pre-Schoolers" width="300" height="213" />“Me, me, me next”, was all <a title="Dental Hygiene program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/" target="_blank">Dental Hygiene</a> students Sara Gutierrez and Kylie Cade could hear when a classroom of pre-schoolers got to take turns wearing white pillowcase costumes to look like teeth, with one pink pillow cased student simulating a tongue, while another classmate practiced the skill of flossing between the ‘teeth’ with a length of cord. A large and colorful Styrofoam toothbrush rounded out the visual aids Sara and Kylie brought to fully engage their audience’s ever-ready imaginations.\r\n\r\nShouts of “I want to be the tongue next,” came mostly from the little girls “because of the pink pillowcase,” says Sara. Next came one-on-one brushing and flossing practice: one child to one toothy stuffed animal. If you want children to learn about good oral health and hygiene, you have to get them where they live; among their stuffed animal friends.\r\n\r\nSara and Kylie were at Muncy Elementary school as part of their <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> campus Dental Hygiene’s Community Outreach project, which is part of their course curriculum.\r\n\r\n“In their Community Oral Health class, students choose their own elementary school and go alone or in pairs to provide oral health education to young students,” says Brenda Serpa, DH Program Director. “In their previous Dental Health Education class they created an education piece that they take out into the community as a visual aid to their presentation.”\r\n\r\nDental hygiene education for young children is welcomed in the education community and appreciated for its far-reaching positive effects within families.\r\n\r\n“Many kids don’t have a toothbrush at home, or they share with a brother or sister,” says Serpa. “That’s why we take those tools – gifts of toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss – with us to school presentations. Our DH students can teach children and demonstrate efficient brushing, while they are using their new toothbrushes on themselves.”\r\n\r\nWith two combined classes totaling 40-plus 4-year olds, Sara and Kylie had their hands full. While Sara led the stuffed animal demonstration, Kylie talked about the ‘sugar bugs’ that love to attack little teeth after sweet snacks.\r\n\r\nThe Dental Hygiene students used a “Happy Tooth” poster to show the effects of good brushing and nutritional habits and a “Sad Tooth” that demonstrated neglect and ‘sugar bug’ infestation.\r\n\r\nA little Q &amp; A session brought interesting confessions from their classroom of enthralled and eager children. “I brush my teeth a hundred times a day,” offered one little boy. “My brother has black teeth,” confessed a little girl. Maybe it was an attack of the ‘sugar bugs’ that got them going.\r\n\r\n“I had an amazing time and love working with children,” says Sara. “You have to be a little more patient with them – like with the floss; if parents don’t introduce it to them, they don’t know what it is.”\r\n\r\nWhen you multiply the number of students in every Dental Hygiene program by the number of young students in each class they visit – who then go home and share their new knowledge with sibling – a lot of lives are touched in very positive ways.\r\n\r\n“When DH students first hear their coursework assignments and realize that they must go out into their community to do this outreach project, they think ‘Oh, that is so much to do,’” says Brenda Serpa. “But, at the end of the semester they talk about what they did, the reaction from the kids and how welcome they were in the classroom; they say they didn’t realize the experience would be so great.”\r\n\r\nThe impact these students make on the community can be measured in better health, fewer visits to the dentist and saved teeth. And, maybe more than a few happy smiles.\r\n\r\n“We want to make sure that our students know what a difference we make in the community, that getting out there and touching the community in this way is more rewarding than they ever thought.” says Serpa.', 'Big toothy animals go to pre-school', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'big-toothy-animals-go-to-pre-school', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/', '2014-10-02 10:57:40', '2014-10-02 17:57:40', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/big-toothy-animals-go-to-pre-school', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12533, 17, '2014-07-11 10:00:00', '2014-07-11 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2951 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/20140605_121257b-234x300.jpg" alt="20140605_121257b" width="234" height="300" />If you are like most females, your hair is your signature trademark. Whether spiked, a smooth line to the jaw, pink-tipped, a mass of curls or hula girl long, your hair is likely your crowning glory.\r\n\r\nSo what would possess Career Services Advisor, Devon Dilley and Admissions Advisor, Marissa Marzan at the <a title="SJVC Fresno" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno/" target="_blank">Fresno</a> campus to make a grab for the scissors? <em>Locks of Love</em>.\r\n\r\n<em>Locks of Love </em>is a not-for-profit organization that utilizes donated hair and financial contributions to provide hairpieces to disadvantaged children under age 21 with medical hair loss. Hairpieces are custom-made for each child’s head and are vacuumed-fitted so that recipients can swim, shower and do gymnastics – essentially be kids again, with their gifts of human hair wigs.\r\n\r\n<em>Locks of Love </em>accepts clean, non-bleached hair in braided ponytails at least 10” long. It takes at least six ponytails to make a single wig that would retail for about $3,500 for a custom, vacuum-fitted hairpiece.\r\n\r\nDevon and Marissa thought it would be brilliant for <a title="SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu" target="_blank">SJVC</a> to raise some serious money for such a great cause. So, they challenged the Fresno campus to raise $1,000 in just three weeks. If their fundraising was successful, both Devon and Marissa would agree to be chopped. The American Medical Technologists club and Student Council members took the challenge and got to work planning fundraisers.\r\n\r\nThe campus was in a flurry of activities: Jeans Days, alumni license plate sales (held advantageously at SJVC’s graduation reception) and a raffle for a gift-filled basket were in the line-up. With last minute contributions to the pot by those really wanting to see Devon and Marissa with a buzz cut, the total just tipped $1,000.\r\n\r\nAMT club president, “Lisa, headed up the fundraisers and took personal time to make sure we hit our goal,” says Devon. “Her daughter is in first grade and wants to donate her hair. It really touches our heart that the word gets spread to even our kids.”\r\n\r\nSpectator chairs were placed around the outside patio for sheer pleasure.\r\n\r\nShanna, a local stylist, donated her time to expertly braid, snip and calm a weakened heart.  There was no going back, and no second thoughts.\r\n\r\n“It’s fun to be able to donate something more than just a check,” says Devon. “It’s something you can afford that everybody can do, and it makes you feel good.” Easier to say when you lose all of that weighty hair on a 107 degree day.\r\n\r\n<em>Locks of Love </em>got some quality merchandise that day. “Neither of us had ever dyed our hair in all our lives, so we actually had pretty healthy hair to give them,” says Marissa.\r\n\r\nDevon donated four 12” braids and Marissa gave up three 13” and two 12” braids. That is 111” of slow-grown, silky goodness straight to some kids who are going to do some sassy hair flips because of Devon and Marissa’s kindness and generosity.\r\n\r\nBoth Devon and Marissa are happy things turned out the way they did and credit SJVC students, staff and faculty with rallying around this cause.\r\n\r\n“Both Devon and I have a mutual friend connected to SJVC who has recently gone through cancer treatment and hair loss; and that was the deciding factor for us to donate,” says Marissa. “We thought it would be nice to give more than money, and we had the ability to do that.”\r\n\r\nIt may be a little while before Devon and Marissa make another such personal donation. “We won’t be doing this again, at least for another three years – it takes that long to grow out,” they laugh in unison.\r\n\r\nIt looks as though there will be no more hair tosses in their immediate future. “Oh, that will still happen,” promises Marissa, who still has shoulder length tresses.', 'It’s a hairy situation', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'its-a-hairy-situation', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:56:22', '2014-10-02 17:56:22', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/its-a-hairy-situation', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12534, 17, '2014-07-14 10:00:00', '2014-07-14 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2928 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IMG_0055b-300x164.jpg" alt="College Bound Bash" width="300" height="164" />SJVC’s <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> campus always does something to make incoming students feel welcome, but on June 12<sup>th</sup> they really rolled out the red carpet…literally. The college’s traditional College Bound Bash went with a <em>Walk the Red Carpet </em>theme and treated incoming students and their friends and family to a spectacular welcome.\r\n\r\nA red carpet led to the event entrance and a photo booth had a celebrity backdrop with ‘Golden Globe’ statues. “The whole point of this event was to make incoming students comfortable and help them connect with other students,” says Rebecca Cryer, <a title="SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu" target="_blank">SJVC</a> High School Admissions Representative.\r\n\r\nThe evening event had lots of games, such as Pictionary and a very competitive water balloon toss to get things going. The winning team was the Medical Turtles, but The Stars and The Dream Team gave them a good run. The Criminal Justice Corrections program even conducted an old fashioned “Who Done It”, complete with crime scene, in a contest for observers to find the murder weapon.\r\n\r\nOver 70 attendees got to get a good look at the campus, have some fun, enjoy winning some prizes and sample great food fare from a taco truck. New students also got to visit different booths set up by campus clubs and organizations for future membership consideration.\r\n\r\nEvent organizers got a lot of help from the campus’s Connect Crew, a mentor and leadership group that works with incoming students who just graduated from high school.\r\n\r\n“The Connect Crew were important to interact here because they are close to the ages of the high school students coming in, and they are a big part of what makes this such a fun event,” says Rebecca.\r\n\r\nThe thirteen Crew members are from all programs offered on campus and traditionally speak at Orientations where they explain to incoming students the importance of getting involved in school clubs and activities, striving for good grades and developing good leadership skills.\r\n\r\n<em>Walk the Red Carpet </em>was hugely successful. “It was exactly what we wanted,” says Rebecca. “The biggest thing was to make sure that we had interaction between our students and new students coming in. New students told me later that they enjoyed getting to know a few students before their start date and felt a lot more comfortable about starting their programs.”\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to a red carpet welcome, the Visalia campus really knows how to roll it out.', 'Incoming students get Red Carpet welcome', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'incoming-students-get-red-carpet-welcome', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:56:06', '2014-10-02 17:56:06', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/incoming-students-get-red-carpet-welcome', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12535, 17, '2014-07-17 10:00:00', '2014-07-17 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2915" align="alignleft" width="263"]<img class="wp-image-2915 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Mauldin-263x300.jpg" alt="Melissa Mauldin" width="263" height="300" /> After growing up watching her mother work as a Dental Hygienist, Melissa knew what she wanted to do with her life.[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That straight line is exactly what Melissa Mauldin made between her high school graduation in 2002 and the nearest place she could begin her general education and prerequisites needed to get into a Dental Hygiene program.\r\n\r\nShe never had any doubts about the career she wanted. Melissa had watched her mom, Sandy Cannella, enjoy the best of two worlds all her young life. As a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) Sandy got to set her own work days and hours, so that she had plenty of time at home with her family. She could comfortably balance a part-time career she enjoyed with the needs of a growing family. That soft schedule appealed to Melissa very much.\r\n\r\n“I grew up watching her, and I could see how flexible it was for her to be able to be with her family and work part-time at a job she enjoyed so much,” says Melissa. “She is still working, at sixty-five, and is able to see a lot of patients she has had for years.”\r\n\r\nMelissa has no problem with the following-in-Mom’s-footsteps concept. Especially now that Melissa has two young children and a husband who need lots of her time, she feels her decision to become a Dental Hygienist was absolutely the right one.\r\n\r\nBut, she was attracted to more than the convenience that this part-time, well-paying job afforded her. “I really love science, so those classes were really appealing to me,” she says. “Also I like to be around people and work closely with others.”\r\n\r\nSJVC in <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> gave Melissa exactly what she was looking for in a top-tier Dental Hygiene program. “I researched different DH programs and SJVC’s was not based on a lottery, but on grades and interviews,” says Melissa. “I did not want to worry about getting picked in a lottery, and SJVC was closer to where I lived.”\r\n\r\nMelissa didn’t expect anything to be handed to her. She had spent a year volunteering once or twice a week in a local dentist’s office, doing things like sterilizing instruments, just to get some work experience. It also solidified her feelings that this was the profession and environment that would make her happy in her career. “It was like, OK, I enjoy this,” she says, remembering her relief.\r\n\r\nMelissa started her Dental Hygiene program just a week after enrolling. She met two other new DH students, Jaime and Amanda, and they all decided to rent a place together near the college.\r\n\r\n“It all happened really fast,” says Melissa. “A graduating <a title="Dental Hygiene program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/" target="_blank">Dental Hygiene</a> student had left fliers at the school about the house she was leaving and wanting to rent, and we decided to take it.”\r\n\r\nWhat Melissa did not realize at the time is that she had also become a part of a solid DH study team – and friends for life. There were many late-night study sessions fueled by lots of coffee.\r\n\r\n“Going in to it, a lot of students were already Dental Assistants, so I had to kind of catch up,” says Melissa. “I had never taken x-rays, but it pretty much evened out after the first month.”\r\n\r\nMelissa was a little surprised at the camaraderie of the class. “You really do bond with your class because you go through so much together,” she says. “And, you get to know some of the patients you meet and get attached to them.”\r\n\r\nGraduation was in the Fall of 2006, and Melissa focused on passing her national board exam. She had a Dental Hygiene position waiting for her as soon as she got her license.\r\n\r\nNow Melissa is enjoying the life she always envisioned. She works part-time for two dental offices and takes great pleasure in treating and educating her patients.\r\n\r\n“When I have someone in my chair every six months, it is a good time to talk with them about their health,” say Melissa, who likes the long-term relationships she gets to establish and nurture.\r\n\r\nShe also gets to spend lots of time with daughters, 2 ½ year old Kindall and 5-month old Quinn, and Melissa’s husband, Chris, who is a counselor for the Department of Corrections. They stay busy in the summer, swimming in the pool and all the “normal stuff to do in the back yard.” Melissa even has a little time to ride her horse, Gidget, who lives on her parents’, Sandy and Dave’s, country acreage.\r\n\r\nShe has the life she made that straight line to enjoy: wife, mother, daughter and Registered Dental Hygienist. Just like her mama.', 'Career:  Straight Ahead', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'career-straight-ahead', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/', '2014-10-02 10:55:18', '2014-10-02 17:55:18', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/career-straight-ahead', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12536, 17, '2014-07-09 10:00:00', '2014-07-09 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2922 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo2b-300x193.jpg" alt="Rescue Mission" width="300" height="193" />Father’s Day came a couple of days early for about 90-guests at the Visalia Rescue Mission.\r\n\r\nA dozen members of the American Medical Technologists Student Society (AMTSS) on the <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> campus decided they wanted to honor fathers on June 13<sup>th</sup>, who could often be found at noon at the Visalia Rescue Mission and who were, mostly, estranged from their families. The <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a> students made over a dozen desserts – everything from cakes and cookies, to cupcakes and fruit kabobs – and served them, along with a hearty lunch prepared at the Mission to all who came by for a little culinary comfort.\r\n\r\n“Guests were so happy and pleased that we thought about them for Father’s Day, and that the MA students had prepared a variety of desserts just for them,” says Sujana De Almeida, MA instructor and AMTSS Club Advisor.\r\n\r\nThe students arrived at the Visalia Rescue Mission at 10:00 A.M. that Friday to clean and decorate tables and dot each one with colorful table toppers and candy. As guests came in for lunch, students brought their food out on trays and wished diners a ‘Happy Father’s Day’.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the meal, AMTSS members brought around an array of tasty desserts they had worked so hard to make for this occasion. Many appreciative ‘dads’, along with a few women and children, also there for lunch, sampled a few treats.\r\n\r\n“We served with a smile and we served with love,” says Sujana.\r\n\r\nThere was a particularly special moment for Mrs. De Almeida when one of the Father’s Day guests requested that she offer a prayer before diners began their meal.\r\n\r\n“I’ve never prayed in public, and they were all looking at me to see how I was going to react,” says Sujana. “But I was caught up in the moment and believe that God just put those words in my mouth.”\r\n\r\nLater, as Sujana was walking around and asking guests how they enjoyed their desserts, demonstrating to students how they might interact as well, when she noticed one gentleman sitting all by himself. He was generous in his praise of their gifts. “I enjoyed the meal and just want to thank you and your students,” he said. “By the way, I’m the one who requested that you say a prayer,” he said.\r\n\r\nSujana is very glad he made that request of her. “It gives me chills every time I speak of it,” she says. “It has been such a life-changing experience to serve our brothers and sisters in our community, and have our students participate in this.”\r\n\r\nCommunity service is very much a part of being a student at SJVC. It not only benefits the community, it is an important teaching opportunity – a chance for students to see the direct impact they can have on another life, and what that action stirs within them.\r\n\r\n“I truly believe our students were inspired and would like to go back and serve again,” says Sujana.\r\nI want them to inspire their own children because this is something that has to be passed along. I want them to know that there is more joy in giving than receiving.”\r\n\r\nMany gifts of heart and spirit were exchanged that day at the Visalia Rescue Mission.', 'A Father’s Day gift lifts spirits', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'a-fathers-day-gift-lifts-spirits', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/', '2014-10-02 10:57:19', '2014-10-02 17:57:19', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/a-fathers-day-gift-lifts-spirits', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12537, 17, '2014-07-10 10:00:00', '2014-07-10 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2934 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Madera_shooped_b3-300x158.jpg" alt="SJVC Madera" width="300" height="158" />Modesto was the last <a title="SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu" target="_blank">SJVC</a> campus to open in the Central San Joaquin Valley – and that was ten years ago. Southern California has been the go-to for new campus sites in communities that offered the perfect balance of employers in need of well-trained professionals and residents interested in quality career education and training.\r\n\r\nThe newest campus, located in Madera, gives SJVC that home-grown feel that plays to the very roots of SJVC’s beginning, 37-years ago in Visalia. Madera is just 65-miles north of Visalia and shares Fwy 99 as their primary access corridor.\r\n\r\n“I’m so happy we are finally opening another campus in Central California where we have, for so many years, been successful in providing our Valley community with qualified professionals,” says Mike Perry, SJVC’s CEO and co-owner.\r\n\r\nThe new <a title="SJVC Madera" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/madera" target="_blank">Madera</a> campus is 8,000 square feet of tremendous potential in the Madera Market Place business park, across the street from the Madera fairgrounds and with easy access from Fwy 99. The retail center is anchored by Walmart and Pak-n-Save, and its high visibility and natural foot traffic in the area make the campus an easy drop-in for those interested in career exploration.\r\n\r\nCalls from Madera residents have been coming in for years, asking SJVC to consider their city for a future campus site.\r\n\r\n“With our Fresno campus of many years, we are well established and have a recognized reputation in an area where we have the strongest footprint,” says Mr. Perry. “Madera’s growth is stunning, and they deserve their own college campus, especially given the number of students now traveling to Fresno from the Madera area.”\r\n\r\nThe Madera campus is offering <em><a title="Business Administration program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/business-administration/" target="_blank">Business Administration</a>, <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting </a></em>and <a title="Medical Office program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-office/" target="_blank"><em>Medical Office </em></a>certificate programs with the option to continue studies toward an AS degree on the Fresno or Modesto campus, or the Online division.\r\n\r\nThe new campus’s primary building is currently undergoing renovation in preparation for the first classes scheduled to begin September 22<sup>nd</sup>.\r\n\r\nProspective students are already visiting the temporary office, near the campus site, and submitting applications for admission.\r\n\r\nMadera is lucky number 13!  If you know someone in Madera County, tell them this is their chance to have a piece of Valley history – and an exciting career. Start it up:  559-302-1134.', 'Welcome Madera!', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'welcome-madera', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/madera', '2014-10-02 10:56:46', '2014-10-02 17:56:46', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/welcome-madera', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12538, 17, '2014-07-15 10:00:00', '2014-07-15 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2939 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/076b-213x300.jpg" alt="Gavin Stevens" width="213" height="300" />“There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark,” said Helen Keller. Graduating seniors from <a title="SJVC Ontario" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario/" target="_blank">Ontario</a>’s <a title="Dental Hygiene program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/" target="_blank">Dental Hygiene</a> program could not agree more.\r\n\r\nEach class gives away $300 of class funds to their favorite dental charity during their Pinning and Awards Ceremony, and this class of twenty-one chose the Gavin R. Stevens Foundation as their recipient. Over 200 attendees, including grad’s families and friends, Dental Hygiene staff and faculty and award recipient attended the ceremony held at the New Life Church in Claremont last month.\r\n\r\nGavin Stevens is a remarkable 5-year old born with a rare genetic retina condition called Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, which affects only about 150 people in the entire US. Although, as yet, there is no cure, Gavin’s parents, Troy and Jennifer, are hopeful for the future.\r\n\r\nThe Stevens family struggles through costs associated with a special needs child, medical treatment and everything that is needed to help their son stretch beyond the confines of his disability. They have a website (gavinsfoundation.org/index.html) that helps to educate others about this genetic retina condition, create awareness and raise funds for research.\r\n\r\nThe highlight of the Pinning and Awards ceremony was when little Gavin took the stage to sing “It’s a Beautiful Day”. “I was on stage, in the back, so I was able to watch the audience; and to just see everyone light up was so much fun,” says Dr. Leslie Nazaroff, Dental Hygiene Program Director. Gavin’s website shows him singing Andrea Bocelli’s <em>Con te Partiro</em>, a famous Italian opera.\r\n\r\nGavin’s parents are grateful to everyone who supports their hope for treatment “that can one day allow Gavin to see things he never has.”\r\n\r\nDr. Nazaroff emphasizes the importance of Dental Hygiene students participating in philanthropic efforts within their communities. “If we forget the element of our community needs, then we’ve done a disservice to our profession.”', 'Dental Hygiene grads see the light', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'dental-hygiene-grads-see-the-light', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:55:50', '2014-10-02 17:55:50', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene-grads-see-the-light', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12539, 17, '2014-07-16 10:00:00', '2014-07-16 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2948" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2948 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/steveCollins-464-300x195.jpg" alt="Criminal Justice Corrections" width="300" height="195" /> One of SJVC''s most popular programs has returned to the Modesto campus.[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe <a title="SJVC Modesto" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/" target="_blank">Modesto</a> campus is excited to have one of its most sought after programs back after a hiatus of several months. The 14-month, AS degree, <a title="Criminal Justice: Corrections program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/criminal-justice-corrections/" target="_blank">Criminal Justice Corrections</a> program is back by popular demand from the corrections industry to help fill a tremendous need for well-trained personnel created by:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Prison realignment that sends low-level offenders back to county jails</li>\r\n	<li>Overpopulated state prisons that transfer inmates back to county jails for continued incarceration</li>\r\n	<li>General increase in inmate census</li>\r\n	<li>New jail construction, which requires additional personnel</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThe CJC program always attracts attention from students on campus, especially when you see CJC students outside practicing drills, such as weaponless defense tactics, baton training, arrest/control techniques, firearms use (non-discharge, except at firing range) and emergency First Aid/CPR.\r\n\r\nTraining also includes specialty areas of interest and responsibility, such as crime scene investigation, evidence recovery, and crime analysis – all those intriguing <em>CSI</em> elements that make this career perfect for those who have lots of natural curiosity and just cannot rest until the mystery is solved.\r\n\r\n“Law enforcement is intended to reflect the community it serves, so most anyone can apply,” says Donald Martin, CJC Program Director on the Modesto campus. There are some important qualifications, however. The best CJC candidates:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Are people-oriented and work well with others</li>\r\n	<li>Is motivated to work in the criminal justice corrections field</li>\r\n	<li>One who is in, or can get in, good physical condition</li>\r\n	<li>Who have no felony convictions</li>\r\n	<li>Who are disciplined and ready to work toward their career goal</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nA unique benefit to SJVC’s CJC program is POST (Peace Officers Standard of Training) academy training, which few other colleges or Corrections training facilities provide. This means that employers, such as county jails do not have to spend tight budget funds to put new hires through this required training.  This makes SJVC’s CJC graduates in much greater demand.\r\n\r\nAnother advantage for SJVC CJC students is a PC 832 (Penal Code) certificate they earn during training, which is required for peace officer status and California Standards and Training adult core correctional officer and Core academy recognized by the California County Sheriff’s departments.\r\n\r\n“I got ahead of a lot of other people in the hiring process because I already had the Core Academy,” says Javier Arteaga, who graduated from SJVC’s CJC program several years ago. “I was placed as No. 1 in seniority because of it and was already working in the field while the other 19 new hires were going through the Academy.”\r\n\r\n“Our CJC graduates are ready to work in all counties in California when they finish the program,” says Mr. Martin. “County corrections facilities will not have to pay for their Core training and wish we had more graduates to send them right now.”\r\n\r\nThe CJC program in Modesto is scheduled to re-open in September. There will be a workshop on July 23 with representatives from the corrections community and previous CJC graduates on hand to talk with prospective students and their families and friends.\r\n\r\nThe Modesto campus is located at 5380 Pirrone Rd., Salida, CA and can be reached at 209-809-2125. The CJC program will be offered evenings, Monday-Thursday.\r\n\r\nIf you know someone who is a good fit for a career in the criminal justice field and who lives near the Modesto area, let them know about this popular program.', 'Criminal Justice Corrections program is back', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'criminal-justice-corrections-program-is-back', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:55:34', '2014-10-02 17:55:34', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/criminal-justice-corrections-program-is-back', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12540, 17, '2014-07-24 10:00:00', '2014-07-24 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2990" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-2990 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IMG_1704_adjusted_crop-copy-300x197.jpg" alt="Michael Haagen" width="300" height="197" /> When Michael returned to school to attain the qualifications to be the construction manager he wanted to be, the work was tough and for a time he doubted himself. But not for long.[/caption]\r\n\r\nMichael Haagen realized that after 16-years as a service technician in the construction business, the part of his job that really excited him was when he actually got to help manage projects. He knew he had to do something to make team leadership his full-time responsibility, and he figured it would take a degree for an employer see him in that role.\r\n\r\nHe did some research and found that only SJVC offered a 2-year degree <a title="Construction Management program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/construction-management/" target="_blank">Construction Management</a> program that met his expectations. “There are certain areas that you know you have to get better at, and SJVC filled all the gaps for me,” he says. He felt it was a bonus that “many of the instructors are actually working professionals in the trade.”\r\n\r\nWith the support of his wife, Bennie, Michael enrolled in the CM program…and almost immediately realized he was in over his head.\r\n\r\n“I did not pick up on the fact that it was an accelerated program,” says Michael. “It was very stringent and there was a time when I was seriously thinking of dropping out.”\r\n\r\nIt was not so much that he was struggling academically – Michael maintained a 4.0 GPA and a steady presence on the Dean’s List. He was working full-time, juggling classes and homework, and trying to be the kind of husband he wanted to be, and not finding the balance he needed to keep it all going.\r\n\r\n“I had to step back, breathe and regroup,” he admits. “You have to be honest with yourself and accept that you’ve made the decision and it will take what it takes. Give yourself breaks, get your mind off the academics and find a new source of energy.”\r\n\r\nMichael reached out for a little support. A tutor helped him through a particularly rough stretch of math, his employer let him take an occasional day off to catch up on his assignments and Bennie understood his struggle completely.\r\n\r\n“My wife was extremely supportive and behind me 100%,” says Michael. “Of course we had to get rid of the bird,” he laughs. “Its screeching wouldn’t work with my studies.”  Their Senegal parrot was placed in a home with lots of young parrots to antagonize.\r\n\r\nMichael developed a strong study discipline. “It was pretty much nights and weekends,” he says. “You have to make it Priority Number One, right next to the family. Many things had to get put on the back burner…except for golf. That was my release to take my mind off everything, he confesses.”\r\n\r\nHis newfound balance of work, responsibility and time-out paid off.\r\n\r\n“Michael was one of the best and most professional students I worked with,” says Ivan Melchor, <a title="SJVC Online" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/" target="_blank">Online</a> Career Services Advisor. “His dedication to his education was a true testament to his character, and I hope his story inspires others who are not sure about continuing their education.”\r\n\r\nWeeks before Michael graduated from the CM program this July, a large company had its eye on him.\r\n\r\n“During conversations with them they told me they believed in my leadership abilities and that when I got my degree it shot me all the way to the top,” says Michael. “That solidified for me my choice to get my degree; it definitely aided in my landing this position.”\r\n\r\nMichael is only a couple of weeks into his new position as HVAC-R Team Leader, but all the signs of a right move are there. As part of the management team responsible for profits and losses of the service department, Michael is in his element.\r\n\r\n“I hit the ground running, and so far, it’s pretty exciting,” he says. “There are a lot of people interactions, the challenges of bridging gaps in relationships with employees and customer expectations.”\r\n\r\nMichael is in the thick of flexing his leadership and communication skills. “A lot of those people skills were definitely learned in that (CM) class,” he notes.\r\n\r\nSome of Michael’s own life experience and wisdom come into play, as well. “The success of any project depends on how well it is presented and laid out,” he says. If you fail to communicate properly, the success of any project will also fail.”\r\n\r\nSome leaders are born, some are made. Michael is tapping both sources to make this long drive right down the middle of his career choice.', 'A natural born leader drives it home', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'a-natural-born-leader-drives-it-home', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/sjvc-online/', '2014-10-02 10:55:03', '2014-10-02 17:55:03', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/a-natural-born-leader-drives-it-home', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12541, 17, '2014-07-31 10:00:00', '2014-07-31 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2965 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/1964807_10153911299150271_1340179790_n2b-297x300.jpg" alt="Frank Holsapple" width="297" height="300" /><a title="Criminal Justice: Corrections program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/criminal-justice-corrections/" target="_blank">Criminal Justice Corrections</a> graduate, Frank Holsapple, has no problem speaking up for SJVC’s CJC program in <a title="SJVC Modesto" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/" target="_blank">Modesto</a>.\r\n\r\n“It’s (SJVC) not a Mickey Mouse type of school,” he attests. “What they say, they back up. They produce results, and I’m an example of that.”\r\n\r\nA career in law enforcement was never something Frank seriously considered, but when he went with his wife, Heather, to check out SJVC’s Medical Assisting program, he ended up taking a CJC pamphlet home. Within a month, he was in.\r\n\r\n“I took a risk by terminating my employment and being a full-time student,” says Frank. “And, after graduation there was no guarantee of a job.”\r\n\r\nSchool was a huge adjustment for Frank and his family. Finances were beyond tight, and Frank struggled to find a working balance between life as a student and his family responsibilities, which included daughter, Alexus and soon-to-arrive, son, Landon.\r\n\r\n“It was difficult not having an income and adjusting to doing homework and making sure family is taken care of,” says Frank. “Heather was my rock and basically there for me through the hard times.”\r\n\r\nAs a 4-year Navy veteran Frank knew all about discipline. He had worked on fighter aircraft, Boeing 707’s – the big planes – that required precise technical skills and discipline. But, unable to get a job in that field after his military discharge, he resorted to driving a truck hauling manure for his cousin’s company. All roads pointed toward higher education.\r\n\r\n“The VA (Veteran’s Administration) paid for my schooling,” says Frank. He was going to make the most of it.\r\n\r\nFrank and CJC Program Director, Donald Martin, hit it off right away. “I could come to him on anything I needed, and because he was working in the field he helped me with anything work-related,” he says. “I don’t think that if I hadn’t had him, I would be where I am today.”\r\n\r\nIt went both ways. “Frank was a dedicated, hardworking student who focused his natural leadership skills that came through in the classroom and the academy,” says Donald Martin. “I am very proud of him.”\r\n\r\nSince completion of the CJC program a little over two years ago, Frank is with the same employer that snapped him up just after his graduation. He is a Deputy Sheriff, Custodial, with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.\r\n\r\nSJVC’s CJC academy provides POST (Peace Officers Standard of Training) certification that put grads ahead of the competition. Law enforcement agencies save the cost and time of providing this mandatory training for new-hires, when they bring a SJVC grad on board.\r\n\r\n“Other programs didn’t stack up to what SJVC offered,” says Frank. “Instead of just getting a piece of paper that said you completed the course, I got POST certified; that’s what drew me to this program.”\r\n\r\nNow, Frank is doing exactly what he was well-trained – and certified – to do: protect and serve the community in which he lives by controlling some of the elements that threaten it.\r\n\r\nHis 48-plus hours each week find him deep into everything connected to inmates in the county jail system.  “We are watching inmates, transporting them to court appearances, writing incident reports, responding to inmate seizures and handling fights in the unit, with the use of force when necessary, to control the situation,” says Frank. “It’s definitely interesting, and there’s never a dull moment when you work in the custodial sector.”\r\n\r\nYou have to be watchful, wary and ready to respond, especially since the state mandated that prisons would reduce their inmate population overflow by transferring many prisoners to county jails.\r\n\r\n“These individuals are a different breed,” explains Frank. “Many of them are lifers and don’t have anything to lose. They are high-ranking gang members, training their new foot soldiers as to how they do things in prison; how they manipulate things and get around the system.”\r\n\r\nIt is a whole new game, and Frank is always pushing to stay on top of the evolution, in part through continued education. He is about six months away from earning his BA degree, and hopes to resume his studies soon.\r\n\r\nFrank is motivated to reach higher to show his family, which now includes son Maddox, what hard work and dedication can accomplish.\r\n\r\n“I was the first to go on to college in my family,” says Frank, whose father had to go to work after high school to support the family. “I want my kids to have good core values, and me going to SJVC will show them you can do anything you want in life so long as you put a lot into it.”', 'You have the right to remain…vocal', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'you-have-the-right-to-remainvocal', '', 'http://www.sjvc.edu/criminal-justice-corrections/\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/modesto/', '2014-10-02 10:54:06', '2014-10-02 17:54:06', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/you-have-the-right-to-remainvocal', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12542, 17, '2014-07-30 10:00:00', '2014-07-30 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2970 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Mauldin2-300x203.jpg" alt="Dental Hygiene" width="300" height="203" />Not everyone wants to work an 8:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday job. For many, part-time is a better fit for their family demands, financial needs or a lifestyle already filled with special interests, hobbies or commitments.\r\n\r\nDental hygienists often enjoy the opportunity to work as many hours as they choose because many dental offices do not employ full-time dental hygienists. Some dental hygienists work a day or two for more than one office, which adds even greater flexibility to their schedules.\r\n\r\n“I have the best of both worlds,” says Melissa Mauldin who graduated from SJVC’s Dental Hygiene program in <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> almost eight years ago. “I am a career woman who also gets to spend a lot of time at home with my children.”\r\n\r\nWell-trained dental hygienists are in demand, which puts them in a position to command a comfortable salary. That higher salary compensates for a shorter work week.\r\n\r\n“If anything ever happened to my husband, I could financially support myself,” says Melissa, who is a Registered Dental Hygienist. “That’s always important to me.”\r\n\r\nMelissa found a couple of very important advantages to SJVC’s <a title="Dental Hygiene program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/" target="_blank">DH</a> program: The A.S. Degree program is only 16-months long, which puts qualified professionals into the workforce much sooner than other programs, and enrollment qualifications are based on completion of prerequisites, good grades and an interview process that determines strong motivation and compatibility of the Dental Hygiene program candidate.\r\n\r\n“I researched different Dental Hygiene programs in my area and was happy to find that SJVC was not based on the lottery system,” says Melissa. “I did not want to worry about getting picked.”\r\n\r\nThe enrollment process is streamlined to meet student needs and get them into class as soon as they are ready. Successful completion of the DH program is also student-focused. Externships allow soon-to-be-graduates to work in the real-world so that they can acclimate to their profession’s environment and further hone their patient skills.\r\n\r\nGraduates from SJVC’s Dental Hygiene program sit for their National Board exams to become Registered Dental Hygienists (RDH). There is a lot of preparation for students so that they do well all along the way, far in advance of this important exam.\r\n\r\n“At SJVC, if you start to struggle with a class, a teacher will pull you aside and tutor you,” says Melissa. “They don’t want to see you go below a B. They give you a lot of help to get ready for your National Boards.”\r\n\r\nMelissa was happy with the end result. “My class got a 100% pass rate on the National Board Exam.”\r\n\r\nA career as a dental hygienist is attractive to many, not only for the opportunity to work part-time, but to work in a pristine environment with a group of professionals who provided much-needed service and education to their patients.\r\n\r\n“You have to have people skills and be prepared to work with a lot of different personalities,” says Melissa. “It is important that you are a team player because it’s not just you; you’re working with a doctor, office manager and dental assistants.”\r\n\r\nFor those considering a career as a dental hygienist, Melissa has some good advice: “If you don’t know exactly what a Registered Dental Hygienist does, you should go to a dental office and job shadow; ask a hygienist questions and actually see what we do.”\r\n\r\nDental hygienists perform services, such as teeth cleaning, sealants, treatments and x-rays, as well as provide education that promotes oral health and proper nutrition. “I enjoy educating my patients and making sure their mouths are healthy,” says Melissa.\r\n\r\nGood patient interaction is essential to success as a dental hygienist. Sometimes, a lot of patience is required.\r\n\r\n“Some patients, especially children, are nervous about being in a dental office, and you have to talk them through things to help them to be comfortable,” says Melissa. “You can’t be frustrated and must just stay calm,” while trying to stay on a schedule for the next patient.\r\n\r\n“I think it’s a great career,” says Melissa. “I like to be around people and work with other people.”\r\n\r\nLife as a dental hygienist is full of responsibility, professionalism and service to others. It is also a life of greater freedom.', 'Flex your career muscle', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'flex-your-career-muscle', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene/', '2014-10-02 10:54:21', '2014-10-02 17:54:21', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/flex-your-career-muscle', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(12543, 17, '2014-07-28 10:00:00', '2014-07-28 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft wp-image-2988 size-medium" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo2b1-300x225.jpg" alt="CASSAMT Barbecue" width="300" height="225" />The American Medical Technologists Student Society (AMTSS) on the <a title="SJVC Visalia" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia/" target="_blank">Visalia</a> campus wanted to introduce their families at home to their SJVC family by hosting a BBQ-Potluck held at Plaza Park on June 20<sup>th</sup> from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.\r\n\r\nEvent organizers were AMTSS Board members Charles Shelley, President, Tameira Thomas, Vice President and Yer Vang, Secretary, who really know how to throw a party…and lead an energetic crew. They organized about twenty club members who all pitched in to shop for and prepare food, plan games, buy prizes and provide set-up before and clean-up after the event.\r\n\r\nAt least thirty family members attended the 3-hour event and finally got to meet some of the people so important to their SJVC student, as they work to complete their medical programs.\r\n\r\nStudents prepared a variety of dishes in addition to barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs, including salads, noodles, homemade beans, potato salad, Jell-o cake, cookies and a huge fruit salad. Adults and kids, alike, enjoyed fun games like water balloon toss, pass the sponge and whiffle ball.\r\n\r\n“I must say that the memorable moments were the three-legged race and the water balloon toss,” says Sujana De Almeida, <a title="Medical Assistant program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant/" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a> program instructor. “The adults and children had a blast, and enjoyed being squirted with cold water from the balloons, as they burst.”\r\n\r\nPlaza Park turned out to be the perfect spot for this fun, food and games get-together.\r\n\r\n“It was so great to see students and their families together, having a great time,” says Elisia Sanchez, Student Resource Coordinator.\r\n\r\nFamilies from home and from the classroom left the park happy to have made each others’ acquaintance.', 'BBQ brings two families together', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'bbq-brings-two-families-together', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:54:44', '2014-10-02 17:54:44', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/bbq-brings-two-families-together', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12544, 17, '2014-08-26 10:00:00', '2014-08-26 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_2997" align="alignleft" width="115"]<a href="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Annessa.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2997" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Annessa-115x300.jpg" alt="Annessa and sister, Brittany, at graduation." width="115" height="300" /></a> Annessa and sister, Brittany, at graduation.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnnessa Turner was twenty-six years old and had been trying on different occupations ever since her first job at age fourteen. “All I knew was that I wanted to help people in need, because that’s what I had a passion for,” she says.\r\n\r\nThat passion led her to a position in a retirement home where she started out in housekeeping and was quickly made part of the care-giving staff because of her sensitive interpersonal skills and loving interactions with residents.\r\n\r\n“They called me ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ because I took a personal interest in their lives and their families,” says Annessa.\r\n\r\nThat led to a position with a company that provides in-home care for those who need assistance with the ongoing needs of their daily lives. This job confirmed the idea that a profession in patient care was where Annessa was meant to be.\r\n\r\nAnother important event solidified that decision when Annessa’s father succumbed to brain cancer after a 10-month struggle.\r\n\r\n“He so badly wanted me to have a good education and have a happy life,” says Annessa. “He is my inspiration for everything I do. I don’t want everything he has taught and shown me to be in vain.”\r\n\r\nEnrolling in the <a title="SJVC''s respiratory therapy program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy">Respiratory Therapy program</a> on the <a title="SJVC''s Ontario Campus" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario" target="_blank">Ontario campus</a> not only set her on the career path she had always wanted, it provided a soft place to land for the support she very much needed after her greatest loss.\r\n\r\n“I never expected to have teachers who are so passionate about their careers and their students,” says Annessa. “They make themselves available to anyone at any time, and that environment is irreplaceable. I sought their advice for things much outside RT. They helped guide me through school, as well as my life path.”\r\n\r\nAnnessa admits that her greatest struggle has been herself. “My own insecurities, lack of self-confidence and not being able to assert myself has always held me back,” she says.\r\n\r\nShe credits so many at SJVC for helping her to see a truer vision of herself. “It was a blessing that Lea Endress was my first instructor,” she says. “He was so positive and inspirational and told me ‘You can do anything,’ and sounded so much like my father.”\r\n\r\nThere were others, like her teacher Russell McCord. “He is the type of instructor that students never forget,” says Annessa. “His positivity is contagious. Simply being around him makes you want to be a better person.”\r\n\r\nShe found her role model in instructor Hank Lockridge. “His infinite knowledge and wisdom has inspired us all to do our best so that when go out into our field we give the highest level of care to our patients,” she says.\r\n\r\nClinical rotations were a revelation to Annessa. “Loma Linda Hospital is my dream right now,” she says. “I hope that I made an impression there to be remembered. It just felt like home, like that was where I should be. I believe in their Mission Statement to make man whole; they’re treating the whole person, not just a patient.”\r\n\r\nThere was a lot of self-discovery along the way. “Who I am now versus who I was when I started school is a very different person,” she says. It is important for her to do her very best so that she can provide others with the highest level of professionalism. Integrity is one of the finer points her father instilled in her. “He said that integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking.”\r\n\r\nAnnessa’s father may have been her North Star, but she is finding a light all her own. She is fanning the fire within herself to go out into the world and pass those gifts she learned from her father and the knowledge and skill gleaned from her education to those in her care.\r\n\r\nWhen she really feels the need to pull him close, to feel the safety net he always provided, she wears the necklace her father wore every day of his many years in the Fire Department, the last eleven as Deputy Chief-Fire Marshall for Chino Valley.\r\n\r\n“I wear his necklace when I need the reassurance that he’s still there,” says Annessa. It will look really nice with her graduation cap and gown this October.', 'Respiratory Therapy student finds strength and confidence through others', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'respiratory-therapy-student-finds-strength-and-confidence-through-others', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy', '2014-10-02 10:52:49', '2014-10-02 17:52:49', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy-student-finds-strength-and-confidence-through-others', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12545, 17, '2014-08-21 10:00:00', '2014-08-21 17:00:00', '[caption id="attachment_3002" align="alignleft" width="200"]<a href="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2014-08-08_0002.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3002" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2014-08-08_0002-200x300.jpg" alt="Anthony with Laura and Ella." width="200" height="300" /></a> Anthony with Laura and Ella.[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe first interaction Anthony Covarrubias had with a patient was early one morning on his first clinical rotation in a hospital ER, when a Code Blue flew through the automatic doors.\r\n\r\n“My first day I’m doing CPR and chest compressions on a patient,” says Anthony. “Some students never get to be in a code, but 15-minutes into my first day, that’s where I was.”\r\n\r\nThat was a unique situation for him…and a good story to take back to his <a title="SJVC''s Ontario Campus" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario" target="_blank">SJVC Ontario</a> <a title="Learn more about respiratory therapy!" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/respiratory-therapy" target="_blank">Respiratory Therapy</a> class. It was also a far cry from where he was just a few months earlier.\r\n\r\nAnthony had been working for a big chain supermarket for 9-years, bouncing from store-to-store. He realized that, at the top of the pay scale for his position, there was not any room for growth.\r\n\r\n“Maybe I should be doing something more rewarding than just bagging people’s groceries and selling them a can of beans,” he says.\r\n\r\nBesides, there was another area of interest that had inspired him at a young age.\r\n\r\n“I had a lot of life experience with my younger twin brother and sister born premature,” says Anthony. The twins, born at 28-weeks were initially dependent on life support. I saw how they progressed, how they got better with respiratory therapy. I thought maybe that’s what I should be doing.”\r\n\r\nAnthony talked with an aunt and cousin who were both RTs, did some online research, and made the call to SJVC.\r\n\r\n“I found that SJVC was the most respected school and one of the best places to go,” he says.\r\n\r\nAnthony laughs remembering Orientation when new students were told that this program was going to be one of the hardest things they will ever do. “I thought, ‘yeah, I’ve heard people say that before’; but they were right.”\r\n\r\n“I was really struggling with the medical language,” says Anthony. “But it was flash cards and memorization, and I pushed through.”\r\n\r\nAnthony’s wife Laura and their baby Ella kept him going. “Laura had to be the breadwinner and had the baby a lot more, that allowed me to stay at school and have study groups if I needed more. She was always telling me she had faith in me and knew that I could do it.”\r\n\r\nHe waivered, but didn’t give up. “We had already sacrificed so much and there was really no option for me to quit,” says Anthony. “I couldn’t fail because there was no back-up plan.”\r\n\r\nThings smoothed out when Anthony started clinical rotations. “Getting real life experience in hospitals was the best part of me,” he says. “The first couple of months of doing class work – math, English, pharmacology – isn’t like when we can get our hands on patients.”\r\nThe classroom felt a little dry by comparison. “What I didn’t like at the time was that everything at school was taken so seriously,” he says. “Now that I’m out in the field, I realize just how serious it can be. You are by yourself and scared to death because here’s a patient who is really sick. And if you don’t know what you’re doing, then you can really cause harm and that’s a hard reality to take home.” he says.\r\n\r\nWhen Anthony graduated from his RT program in August, 2013, there was no RT position on the horizon, so he began to study for a series of advanced certifications.\r\n\r\n“I just pretended that I was still in school and studied for advance credentials,” says Anthony who had already earned his Certified Respiratory Therapist and Registered Respiratory Therapist licensures. Within three months he added Neonatal Pediatric Specialty, Certified Pulmonary Function Technologist and Registered Pulmonary Function Technologist credentials.\r\n\r\nHe viewed the $750 cost to take the exams as a good investment in his future. “I was hoping that it would look better on a resume and make me stand out from the competition,” he says.\r\n\r\nAnthony also knew that St. Jude Hospital had an eye on him ever since he had a clinical rotation there. Within three months of his graduation, they made their interest official. “They got to see me as a student, and what I got to show them during my clinical experience is how I got the job there,” he says.\r\n\r\nAnthony has been part of their Respiratory Therapy team for several months now and is feeling a strong sense of accomplishment. He now knows, first-hand, the seriousness of the role he plays in a life.\r\n\r\n“You are there to do a job that someone expects you to know,” he says. “Sometimes you are all that stands between a patient and death.” It doesn’t get more serious than that.', 'RT graduate likes life on the edge', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'rt-graduate-likes-life-on-the-edge', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:53:05', '2014-10-02 17:53:05', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/rt-graduate-likes-life-on-the-edge', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(12546, 17, '2014-08-20 10:00:00', '2014-08-20 17:00:00', 'If you want to get someone’s attention, give them information that will help them address something that is both personal and beneficial. For teenagers it might be teeth whitening techniques or bad breath prevention. For older people, or their caregivers, it might be basic denture care or prevention of xerostomia (dry mouth due to medications).\r\n\r\nThat is how <a title="SJVC''s Visalia Campus" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia" target="_blank">Visalia campus</a> <a title="Dental Hygiene at SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/dental-hygiene" target="_blank">Dental Hygiene</a> students approach their Oral Health Class’s Target Group Project. The assignment for each student is to identify a group that meets or works together regularly – such as a middle or high school class, elder care staffers or volunteers – and meet with them to determine their current oral hygiene needs and practices and/or responsibilities to others.\r\n\r\nDH students assess the knowledge and performance level of their chosen group and develop a lesson plan that might improve their group’s routine, products or technique. Their second visit to their group lays out the plan, educates the group in new equipment, technology or methodology and provides demonstrations, using those tools and advancements. Three-six weeks later the third visit assesses the success of their plan and its implementation.\r\n\r\n“As a teacher, the Target Group Project is an opportunity to observe the students utilize what they’ve learned to impact the health of the community,” says Brenda Serpa, DH Program Director. “It’s exciting to see them put all of the pieces together and make a difference.”\r\n\r\nCaregivers who assist patients with, or who perform, dental hygiene care may learn new methodology, such as fluoride treatments and brushing or cleaning techniques. Their patients may experience improved oral hygiene and appearance.\r\n\r\nLesson plans for middle and high school students might include information about the importance of mouth guards to prevent tooth loss and the dangers of prolonged use of chewing tobacco. Oral cancer recently claimed the life of baseball Hall of Famer, Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres right fielder who for many years chewed tobacco.\r\n\r\nDental Hygiene students may initially dread the thought of going out into the community and putting themselves in front of an audience. But, they almost always complete their assignment with a new understanding and appreciation of their role as educator in the community.\r\n\r\n“I believe it is extremely valuable to participate in the community aspect of my education,” says Katelyn Van Ruiten, DH student. “Becoming involved helped me to realize how many people in the community need our help with oral health and that we can make a difference.”\r\n\r\nThe education models the DH students design and implement have helped both caregivers to provide, and individuals to enjoy, a healthier life and social experience. It also brings Dental Hygiene students just a little closer to the profession they have in their sights.\r\n\r\n“Serving people in need of oral hygiene education helped to reiterate the point within my mind and hopefully our audiences’ minds that dental hygienists are essential to any community,” says DH graduate, Somaly Bundband.', 'Community service gets personal', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'community-service-gets-personal', '', '', '2014-10-02 10:53:21', '2014-10-02 17:53:21', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/community-service-gets-personal', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(3006, 17, '2014-08-14 10:00:00', '2014-08-14 17:00:00', 'At twenty-three Matt De Vera had it good. His sales/marketing position for a large insurance company was lucrative and allowed him plenty of free time for his two loves: basketball, which had its hook in him since high school; and Christine, his girlfriend of two years.\r\n\r\nBut his job was no longer challenging him, and discontent was building. “My little brother, Joshua, was on his way to becoming a pharmacist and Christine was getting her Bachelor’s in nursing,” says Matt. “They’re pursuing higher education, so why can’t I?”\r\n\r\nOnce Matt made that decision, he did not need to be persuaded. “I’ve been self-driven since the beginning of time, so it doesn’t really take much to push me,” he says. “If I want something, I do it.”\r\n\r\nMatt talked with friends and a family member who were enjoying careers in Respiratory Therapy, did his research and made the call to SJVC in Ontario. His life spun on a dime.\r\n\r\nIt is hard for Matt to remember all the leisure time he used to have. He attends class and drives to outlying hospitals for clinical rotations, while he works over 30-hours a week at Sunglass Hut. “A lot of the pressure of work and school is alleviated because of Christine’s encouragement,” he says. “We study at Starbucks a lot – that’s our dates.”\r\n\r\nGoing from sales and marketing to health care might seem like an unlikely segue, but Matt has managed to blend those skill sets into the perfect health care professional: a proficient technician with a personable\r\n‘bedside manner’.\r\n\r\n“I like to get more on a personal level and treat my patients like I would want my family treated,” says Matt. “When I was in sales it was always important to make someone feel comfortable, and this is no different.”\r\n\r\nOne day Matt was administering a nebulizer procedure on a patient, a treatment that opens up airways to allow easier breathing. He was being his usual, communicative self; “nothing special,” he says. A few days later Russell McCord, his RT instructor told Matt what a positive impression he had made on one of his good friends – a colleague who worked for a Respiratory Therapy program at another school.\r\n\r\n“My friend told me that our RT student gave him excellent care and was a fine example of professionalism,” says McCord. Sometimes, life is like a pop quiz you manage to ace.\r\n\r\nMatt feels that one of the best things the RT program has going for it is the instructors. “The faculty is just amazing, and they make time for us in person or email,” he says. “They challenge us to make our mistakes now, instead of when we are professionals out there and responsible for someone’s life.”\r\n\r\nMatt graduates in October and has an open mind to where his future might lead him. For the next couple of years he will enjoy a position in his new profession, while simultaneously completing his Bachelor’s degree.\r\n\r\n“I’ve been working and going to school for the past six years, so I may as well keep doing it,” he says.\r\nEventually, Matt would like to join his dad, Abraham, in his home care business. Matt wants to help take that business to the next level through expansion of facilities and services. Matt would also like to see his parents take a much-needed vacation that Abraham’s work has not allowed.\r\n\r\n“Mom (Cristina) has always wanted to go to Europe and keeps telling me ‘hurry up so you can help your dad’”, laughs Matt.\r\n\r\nMatt keeps all of these balls in the air…plus one more. As Vice Chairman of a basketball league he and another friend started when Matt was just 18-years old, Matt can often be found on the court. His high school days of playing with and against the likes of NBA players Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs) and Malcolm Lee (Minnesota Timberwolves) left an indelible mark.\r\n\r\n“Basketball is an important part of my life; I have to do it,” he says. Does he wish he had gone in the direction of a career in his favorite sport? “I’m OK; I just wish I’d gotten as tall as both of them did.”\r\n\r\nNo regrets for Matt. His forward motion toward a secure career in health care has strong momentum.\r\n\r\n“I figured that out the first day of clinic,” says Matt. “I’m 100% happy with my decision and would not take it back. It was a good investment for me.”', 'Boredom leads to new career', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'boredom-leads-to-new-career', '', '', '2014-10-02 17:38:42', '2014-10-03 00:38:42', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/boredom-leads-to-new-career', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(3012, 17, '2014-08-15 10:00:00', '2014-08-15 17:00:00', 'Everyone has seen the news footage of children trudging hundreds of miles from Guatemala and El Salvador, seeking safety in the U.S. from gang violence in their home towns, only to be held in churches and detention centers across our borders. Until decisions about their legal status are made on a national level, these kids must languish in ill-prepared facilities that are barely able to meet their physical needs of food and shelter.\r\n\r\nThese images of children corralled, sometimes behind metal barriers, contrast sharply against the freedom most children enjoy in our country of neighborhoods, schools and parks.\r\n\r\nInstead of looking away, the Criminal Justice Corrections Club on the <a title="SJVC''s Ontario campus" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario" target="_blank">Ontario campus</a> decided to look into what they might do to help.\r\n\r\n“My heart was crushed watching the children walking from other countries, running from violence in their countries,” says Angelia Crenshaw, CJC Program Director and instructor. “I spoke to CJC students about donating basic items, like toiletries, and the CJ club officers began compiling a list and collecting items from our CJ students.”\r\n\r\nCJC students raised $250, in addition to various items donated, and one CJC student’s employer donated over $1,200 in products. Laura Torres, who graduates from the <a title="Get more information about SJVC''s criminal justice program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/criminal-justice-corrections" target="_blank">CJC program</a> in October, told her dad, Juan, about her program’s effort. She mentioned to him that they had contacted St. Catherine of Siena Church in Rialto, where 47 children were being housed, and who were becoming dehydrated as supplies dwindled.\r\n\r\n“Let’s go get them some water,” said Juan, without hesitation. He and Laura made a Costco run and loaded up pallets of water and cases of Gatorade to help a dire situation.\r\n\r\nTwo days before delivery was scheduled to St. Catherine’s, the CJC Club decided to take their mission campus-wide. “Let’s open it up to the whole school,” suggested Angelia.\r\n\r\nCJC students and instructor went class-to-class, and both students and instructors were eager to help.\r\n\r\n“The next day we had everything we asked for,” says Angelia. “They brought in shampoo, lotion, soap, baby wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste – we tried to keep it to toiletries. Plus we bought frozen vegetables with some of the money raised.”\r\n\r\nAlmost $2,000 in merchandise and cash was collected in three short days. CJC Club officers Aldo Ayon, Larisha Walker, Laura Torres and Jasmine Munoz-Turrubiartes led the charge to enormous success, and on Friday, July 18th delivery was made directly to the church.\r\n\r\nEven though SJVC students and faculty were not allowed to meet the recipients of their humanitarian effort – the children had witnessed great anger at their presence in the U.S. – deep gratitude was expressed to them by church staff.\r\n\r\nCJC students, in particular, got an important lesson about the criminal justice corrections career they were training to enter.\r\n\r\n“We want to teach them that there is another side of law enforcement,” says Angelia. “You’re not just locking people up. You have to go into a community and reach out when people are in need, teach them at a young age to have respect for the law, maybe inspire them with the idea that they might want to become a police officer, too.”\r\n\r\nSometimes it goes even deeper.\r\n\r\n“This experience kind of made me appreciate what I have and it was way more than these kids,” says Laura. “When it comes down to it, it pulls everyone closer to participate. Nobody knows when we’re going to be put in that kind of situation and if you do a good deed, I’m pretty sure God will give you a hand too.”', 'CJC students help immigrant children caught in limbo', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'cjc-students-help-immigrant-children-caught-in-limbo', '', '\nhttp://www.sjvc.edu/criminal-justice-corrections', '2014-10-02 17:38:26', '2014-10-03 00:38:26', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/cjc-students-help-immigrant-children-caught-in-limbo', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(3027, 17, '2014-08-27 10:00:00', '2014-08-27 17:00:00', 'The American Medical Technologists Student Society on the <a title="SJVC Visalia Campus" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia" target="_blank">Visalia campus</a> spearheaded a drive to collect funds and supplies for Back-to-School backpacks for kids involved in the local Boys and Girls Club.\r\n\r\nAMTSS Board members lead a 4-week collection campaign, which began early July and ended August 7th. Club members set a goal of providing thirty backpacks with supplies, but ended up with forty-four packs, bursting with binders, rulers, pens, pencils, paper and crayons for their young recipients.\r\n\r\nThe Dental Assisting Club donated $120, and Veronica Denton, a friend of an AMTSS Club member donated $100 with which more supplies were purchased. Visalia campus staff, faculty and students donated many of the back-to-school items, and the CSA Club donated laptop cases.\r\n\r\n“Students felt very excited and happy to be able to serve children in their community,” says Sujana De Almeida, Medical Assisting instructor and AMTSS Advisor.\r\n\r\nThe backpacks were taken to the Boys and Girls Club of Visalia on August 8th, where children who had been identified by the local club as being in need of school supplies, were waiting to choose their backpacks. “These backpacks help young students to feel excited about going back to school,” says De Almeida.\r\n\r\nAMTSS Board members include: Charles Shelley, President, Tameira Thomas, Vice President, Yer Vang, Secretary and Martha Ramirez, Treasurer. “They took the lead in this campaign and worked together as a team with all the other members of the AMTSS Club,” says Sujana.\r\n\r\nGoing back to school will be just a little easier for a few fortunate kids, thanks to the industrious efforts of the American Medical Technologists Student Society and a generous Visalia campus.', 'AMTSS Club spurs Back-to-School Donations', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'amtss-club-spurs-back-to-school-donations', '', '', '2014-10-02 17:37:35', '2014-10-03 00:37:35', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/amtss-club-spurs-back-to-school-donations', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(3016, 17, '2014-08-28 10:00:00', '2014-08-28 17:00:00', 'Many share the dream of writing and having published a book, but few have the discipline and fortitude it takes to make that dream a reality. Retired architect and <a title="Construction Management at SJVC" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/construction-management" target="_blank">Construction Management</a> instructor, Serge Laraque, made it happen – twice.\r\n\r\nLaraque’s first venture into the realm of ‘published author’ was with Self Determi-Nation, a self-help book about “the power within” that took him about two years to write and “sold fairly well,” he says.\r\n\r\nHis newly released Covenant Games (Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble) is a sharp turn to fiction and centers on protagonist, Jean Luc Duvignon, an architect who stumbles across evidence that his architecture firm is corrupt and willing to murder to conceal its depth of crime and deceit. Jean Luc becomes an FBI informant and risks his life, as well as the lives of close colleagues, in his attempt to help bring this powerful firm to justice.\r\n\r\n“This one has a lot more potential than the first book,” says Serge. “So far it is getting a very positive response; all these people are following me (Twitter/Face Book), so the word is a little bit out.”\r\n\r\nThe writing process is grueling, as one might expect; and it took Serge four years to complete his second literary offering. “Writing demands a lot of attention and patience,” he says. “There should be blood and sweat gushing out of the pages of this book,” he laughs.\r\n\r\nSerge makes it clear that what you write is a manuscript, not a book. “Your editor will decide if it’s a book or not,” he emphasizes. If your work is published there is another, equally important, level of acceptance.\r\n\r\n“Somebody is going to read what you produce, and they’re the ones who make it or break it,” he cautions.\r\n\r\nSerge feels that he is very fortunate to have the kind of position at <a title="SJVC Ontario campus location" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario" target="_blank">SJVC Ontario</a>, teaching evening Construction Management classes, that allows him to devote morning hours to writing. Aside from Serge’s wife, Linda, their son, Christopher and their granddaughter Maia, few people even knew he was working on another book.\r\n\r\n“Without SJVC I really could not have the freedom to do this kind of thing,” says Serge. “I am very thankful to have this kind of position to have the morning to put my thoughts on paper.”\r\n\r\nSerge shared plot lines with a SJVC colleague. “He had me captivated with his ability to talk about the chapters so passionately,” says Angelia Crenshaw, CJC Program Director at SJVC. “He would add to the chapters while talking to me. Amazing.”\r\n\r\nSerge works diligently from the corner of a room. “When I was writing this book, I would come home real tired but vowed to myself that I would write one line today – and that’s what I would do.”\r\n\r\nThere were enough lines and enough interest in Serge’s story to launch this 450-page suspense thriller. Now he waits to measure its impact and popularity. “This game is all about numbers,” says Laraque, who tracks book sales.\r\n\r\nActually…he is not waiting. Serge’s next novel of fiction, this time about political dysfunction and human strife in Haiti, is at the ready. He is also laying out the plot lines for a sequel to Covenant Games. “Something is germinating from that original idea, and I’m going to try to maintain that momentum, if possible,” says Serge.\r\n\r\nSerge’s efforts are rewarded in many ways. “I just want the public to read something that is a good product and really engage them in the material,” he says. “If it comes true that in the end it might produce a financial reward, it is most welcome.”\r\n\r\nSerge Laraque has a bit of advice for those who might harbor a desire to put fingers to keyboard in hopes of connecting with other minds through the written word.\r\n\r\n“Organize your thoughts, step up to the plate, create something, bring it to the forefront,” he says. “Have a story and want to put it together.”\r\n\r\nSerge Laraque has clearly taken his own good advice.', 'Ontario instructor has new book published', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'ontario-instructor-has-new-book-published', '', '', '2014-10-02 17:37:21', '2014-10-03 00:37:21', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/ontario-instructor-has-new-book-published', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(3022, 17, '2014-09-02 10:00:00', '2014-09-02 17:00:00', 'Angie Carpenter comes from a long line of strong, independent women. Angie’s great, great, grandmother, Gigi, was a big part of the women’s suffrage movement where she fought for women’s rights and equality. Her example was not lost on the generations of sisters, mothers and daughters in her family to follow.\r\n\r\n“I think that most of us women in our family kind of have that expectation that we came from a family that is expected to do great things and support each other and be there for each other,” says Angie.\r\n\r\nTheir four generations of women have made great strides in the medical field where leadership and teaching roles were intertwined. Angie was no exception to that call of professional accomplishment.\r\n\r\nStarting out in the medical field as a coder-biller, Angie realized she was misplaced. She needed to be directly involved in patient care, so she went back to school to become a LVN.\r\n\r\nTwo years later Angie was working 12-hour days at a local hospital and getting calls in the middle of the night to get back to the ER. Long hours away from home were not working for her growing family, which now included her husband, Jason and their four young children, Marissa-9, Jason-7, Jonathan-5 and Jeremy-3. After eight years, she knew she had to make a change.\r\n\r\n“I wanted a more set schedule and to have more time with my family,” says Angie. “I didn’t want to get those 2:00 AM calls anymore.”\r\n\r\nAngie went to work at <a title="SJVC''s Antelope Valley Campus" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/antelope-valley" target="_blank">SJVC’s Lancaster campus</a> as a <a title="SJVC''s Medical Assisting Program" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant" target="_blank">Medical Assisting program</a> instructor a little over a year ago and has not looked back.\r\n\r\nNow, not only does she get to see her kids’ football games, she is the Head Medic and Field Coordinator for the local football league. “I don’t know much about regular football, but I can stitch you up right there on the field,” she assures.\r\n\r\nAngie is settling into the profession she was meant to enjoy and has already received an Employee of the Month award. And, like her great, great grandmother, Angie is a strong proponent of equality and is the campus’s Gay Straight Alliance advisor, as well as ASB advisor.\r\n\r\n“Our Diversity Club shows support for all of our differences,” she says. “It’s really hard for students, especially just coming out of high school, to know where they can find support, and we show them that at SJVC they will be supported.”\r\n\r\nAngie revels in her responsibility as a teacher. Her greatest moments come when a struggling student finally gets it – when the light suddenly clicks on. “When that happens they become more confident in themselves and in their skill level,” says Angie. “I love to see that change in them.”\r\n\r\nHer students return that affection and sense of shared success.\r\n\r\n“She makes class fun and interesting, but we’re learning too!” says CAMA student Kelsey Owens. “She doesn’t just teach us out of the book, but opens our eyes to real life situations.”\r\n\r\nAngie makes sure her students know that learning all of the intricacies of their new profession takes time…and some failures along the way. “I tell them it’s ok to make mistakes, but better to do it here so we can correct them before you go out into the field,” she says.\r\n\r\nDuring these times of trial and error she likes to tell them: “Even when you fall on your face, you’re still going forward and making progress. Just be better than you were yesterday.”\r\n\r\nAgainst her own good advice, Angie struggles with letting her students fall too hard. “I want to do everything for everyone and give them whatever they need,” she says. “But, sometimes I have to say, ok, they need to do this on their own. I can’t go to extern with them,” she admits.\r\n\r\n“She goes out of her way to help students,” says Luis Flores, CAMA student.\r\n\r\nAngie replenishes her nurturing spirit with lots of activities with her family. Their favorite pastime is riding their individual quads. Yes, even 3-year old Jeremy has one (with built-in safety features). It probably won’t surprise her students to know that Angie also races a dirt track car at the local fairgrounds, where she won a Third Place ribbon last year.\r\n\r\nBut, Angie’s dearest memento is Gigi’s cookie cooling rack that her great, great grandmother used for treats to “get men to come out” to suffrage meetings. Angie still uses the cookie rack, as well as a few of Gigi’s powerful lessons for improving the human condition.', 'Four generations inspired to excel', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'four-generations-inspired-to-excel', '', '', '2014-10-02 17:36:31', '2014-10-03 00:36:31', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/four-generations-inspired-to-excel', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(3033, 17, '2014-09-03 10:13:22', '2014-09-03 17:13:22', '<img src="http://www.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Fresno-SJVC-Surgical-Tech-students1-300x250.jpg" alt="Fresno SJVC Surgical Tech students" width="300" height="250" class="alignleft wp-image-13421 size-thumbnail" />The <a title="Click to learn more about SJVC''s surgical technology program." href="http://www.sjvc.edu/surgical-technology">Surgical Technology program</a> at the <a title="Click to learn more about SJVC''s Fresno campus." href="http://www.sjvc.edu/fresno">Fresno campus</a> has received the annual merit award from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) for achieving a 100% pass rate on the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) exam. The most recent exam cycle ran from Aug. 1, 2013 through July 31, 2014.\r\n\r\nFourteen Surgical Tech grads from the Fresno campus tested for certification during that time frame, and all fourteen passed this exacting exam to take their places in the upper echelon of their chosen field.\r\n\r\n“Certification as a surgical technologist demonstrates achievement of academic success and positions our graduate to be successful in a competitive job market,” says Teri Junge, Surgical Technology Program Director for SJVC’s Fresno campus. “Many employers require certification as a condition of employment.”\r\n\r\nThe CST examination is the only fully accredited examination by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) for surgical technologists in the nation. NCCA accreditation assures that the CST examination meets stringent standards of examination development and administration.\r\n\r\nGraduates from SJVC’s 16-month Surgical Technology program who obtain national certification demonstrate, by examination, their understanding of the basic competencies for safe patient care in the operating room. The Certified Surgical Technologist is widely recognized in the health care community as the foremost credential for surgical technologists in the nation.\r\n\r\nCertification exhibits professional pride, the desire to be recognized for mastery of surgical competencies, and most importantly, an ongoing commitment to quality patient care.\r\n\r\nA 100% pass rate for Surgical Technology program graduates is testament to the high caliber of both students and program.', 'SJVC Receives National Recognition for Fresno Surg Tech Program', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'sjvc-receives-national-recognition-for-fresno-surg-tech-program', '', '', '2014-12-30 15:24:59', '2014-12-30 23:24:59', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/?p=3033', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(3036, 17, '2014-09-04 10:00:00', '2014-09-04 17:00:00', '<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13031" src="http://www.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Visalia-campus-participates-in-Be-the-Match1-300x154.jpg" alt="Visalia campus participates in Be the Match" width="300" height="154" />Every four minutes someone is diagnosed with cancer – about 12,000 people each year. For far too many of those with blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia, the only hope of escaping imminent death is a bone marrow transplant, or blood marrow transfusion. Of the hundreds of thousands hoping to find blood and/or marrow donors, only about 50 percent find a volunteer ''match.''\r\n\r\n<a title="Click to learn more about SJVC''s Visalia campus." href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia" target="_blank">SJVC’s Visalia campus</a> pulled together to try to save a few more lives. More than 170 students, staff and faculty registered with the City of Hope’s <em>Be the Match Marrow Registry</em> for the chance to give the greatest gift of all – life.\r\n\r\n"We have lots of medical students here who participated because they are going into the medical field," says Kerrie Liles, Dean of Students and registration drive organizer. "Everyone that participated felt very proud. You just got the sense that they knew that they could be part of something really big."\r\n\r\nDean Liles had spent a month getting the word out, sending emails, putting up posters and going into classrooms to talk to students about the need for marrow donors. Kerrie told them about those so sick that only the very marrow from a human body could provide any promise of continued life. She gave statistics, answered questions and talked about what it meant to register as a donor for <em>Be the Match</em>.\r\n\r\nOn August 5th and 6th, Raquel Amezquita and Vivian Abernathy from <em>Be the Match Marrow Registry</em> at the City of Hope in Los Angeles came to the campus to assist with donor registrations, take four cheek swabs (upper/lower, right/left) from participants and explain the process of blood and marrow donation.\r\n\r\n"The students and instructors were such a pleasure to work with," says Raquel Amezquita. "They were all so excited about the possibility of saving someone''s life."\r\n\r\nOne young RN student knew exactly what becoming a donor was about. Her dad was scheduled to receive a blood marrow infusion the next day. She and five of her fellow classmates went together to register as donors. It was a pretty emotional moment for them, as well as for Raquel and Vivian, as they guided the students through the process.\r\n\r\nDonors span the ages of 18-44 and are registered in a world-wide data base of 12-14 million. If a match is made, all blood and bone marrow draws are performed at the City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles. Donors are compensated for travel expenses, including child care, food, lodging and transportation. For students, the City of Hope also provides a letter to the college Dean requesting that a student’s absence not result in any form of penalty.\r\n\r\nThe process of extraction is different depending on whether the cancer patient is an adult or a child. If a donor is matched with an adult patient, the donor is hooked up to a machine that extracts marrow from a blood line from one arm before returning it to the donor through a line in the opposite arm. The process takes a few hours.\r\n\r\nIf the donor is matched with a child the process is more intricate. Donors are put under for 60-90 minutes while marrow is extracted from the hip bone. Donors are released after a few hours of observation.\r\n\r\nThousands of lives are saved each year, as donors are paired with cancer patients pinning their hopes on the long-shot of a biological match. Over 600,000 potential donors are added to the registry each year – one-third with diverse ancestry – and around 5,800 cancer patients receive a marrow transplant.\r\n\r\nIt is important to have donors with diverse ethnic backgrounds, as many patients are of blended races and depend upon <em>Be the Match</em> to have a well-balanced pool of donors.\r\n\r\nDonor registration is the first step toward creating those small miracles of connection.\r\n\r\n"Everybody has a family member or friend who has been touched by cancer or leukemia, so it’s something everyone can relate to," says Kerrie. "It was powerful and one of the things I’m most proud of being a part of," she says of the <em>Match</em> drive.\r\n\r\nThe Visalia campus plans to participate in the <em>Be the Match Registry Drive</em> on a regular basis. Those interested in becoming a donor can order a swab kit at <a title="Click to go to Be the Match''s website." href="http://www.join.bethematch.org/Hope4All" target="_blank">join.bethematch.org/Hope4All</a>.', 'Visalia campus all in with Be the Match Marrow Registry Drive', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'visalia-campus-all-in-with-be-the-match-marrow-registry-drive', '', '', '2014-12-30 15:20:15', '2014-12-30 23:20:15', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/?p=3036', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(3043, 17, '2014-09-09 10:25:18', '2014-09-09 17:25:18', '<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13029" src="http://www.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SJVC-Bakersfield-Medical-Assisting-students-help-local-homeless-shelter1-300x228.jpg" alt="SJVC Bakersfield Medical Assisting students help local homeless shelter" width="300" height="228" />The <a title="Click to learn more about SJVC''s Bakersfield campus." href="http://www.sjvc.edu/bakersfield" target="_blank">Bakersfield campus</a> Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting Club launched a campus-wide drive to raise funds for backpacks and school supplies for children at the Bakersfield Homeless Center (BHC).\r\n\r\n"We wanted to help out the children in our community," says <a title="Click to learn more about SJVC''s Medical Assistant program." href="http://www.sjvc.edu/medical-assistant" target="_blank">Medical Assisting</a> student, Stephanie Johnston. "There were so many children in need of a backpack and school supplies for the new school year, and we felt that we should contribute to that need."\r\n\r\nThe CAMA Club’s weekly food sales funded much-needed backpacks and supplies for children at the Center. "We know that our contribution made a difference to the children in need," says Stephanie.\r\n\r\nThe Bakersfield Homeless Center is a 174-bed facility that provides shelter, food and advocacy to those most in need – typically a single parent with children who have lost their home to personal or economic crisis.\r\n\r\n"Without the support and community partners such as the one we have with San Joaquin Valley College, we here at the Bakersfield Homeless Center would not be able to help our families and children," says Cindy Lyday, External Affairs Manager for the center. "We are grateful for the donation of backpacks made to our Back to School Backpack Drive and you helped us reach our goal of 500 backpacks!"\r\n\r\nMembers of the CAMA Club dropped off the collected backpacks at a local TV station.\r\n\r\n"BHC sleeps over 100 children a night and every school age child was thrilled when they got the chance to pick out the backpack they wanted for this school year," says Cindy. Excess backpacks are provided throughout the school year to new children needing the safety and comforts the Center provides.\r\n\r\nSJVC Bakersfield was happy to support Bakersfield Homeless Center’s mission.', 'CAMA Club Donates Backpacks to Kids at Shelter', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'open', '', 'cama-club-donates-backpacks-to-kids-at-shelter', '', '', '2014-12-30 15:12:57', '2014-12-30 23:12:57', '', 0, 'http://www.sjvc.edu/?p=3043', 0, 'post', '', 0);
